The Darkness Within
by Charlett
Summary: Gaia, World of Darkness, is dying. The Light is squelching all life on the planet, and the Dark Crystals of Water, Fire, Earth and Wind have chosen the warriors meant to protect the universe. This is the story of the fabled Dark Warriors. AU
1. Chapter 1

EDIT: Hey all, I'm editing this stuff, and by "edit" I mean "putting in scene changes the way they're supposed to be before this place screwed with them. I think a few little changes are also in order as well, so if you want, you can actually read it without trying to figure out if a scene actually changed or not! Oh BOY!

And now we return to our regularly scheduled Alternate Universe.

* * *

Hay gusy, lol! Kidding, kidding. This is a rather unconventional Alternate Universe. As in, no modern schools, no lol magical girls, and no OOC. That last one's the most common, after all.

Anyway, I'mma give you some back-story. The main story of Final Fantasy III was about Light Warriors who fight the darkness, but 1000 years ago, the light was destroying dark and Dark Warriors had to rise up to fight the light. I thought, "What a strange and utterly AWESOME way to go about that!" so I thought about writing about Dark Warriors having to fight the light or something. And then I was in a FFIX mood, and I remembered "Hey, 8 guys, four can be Dark Warriors, and four can be Light Warriors, and I can pit them against each other like some sort of demented monster!"

And thus was this written.

So far, however, I haven't gotten far. I don't know how far I'll get in it either as no one really cares about stuff I write anyway. Hohoho, go Christy! Put yourself down so people will give you pity!

Anyway, just give it a try, alright?

READ ON!

* * *

Once upon a time, there was a world filled with light, joy and peace. The four light elemental crystals of earth, water, fire and wind protected the people who lived under the sun. The darkness had not hoped to take the World of Light for a thousand years.

The World of Darkness, on the other hand, was slowly sinking into a mire of light. The people of the World of Darkness always knew only dark. The sun gave them no light (in fact, it gave no more light than a star in the World of Light's nighttime), and the moon gave off the most light they had ever known. For that reason, the people worked their hardest during the night, and slept during the day. When the sun began to shine brighter than usual, the people were, naturally, fearful of this phenomenon. The sun beat down on the planet, and the Humans hid inside their homes, fearful of the monsters that began to appear. What was worst of all was that the dark elemental crystals of earth, fire, water and wind began to lose their darkness; they began to shine bright as the sun that now rained horrible light upon their world. The World of Darkness, Gaia, was dying.

Alexandria, the largest and greatest province in Gaia, felt the changes more than any other land. Queen Brahne Raza Alexandros XVI, the ruler of Alexandria, had to put down many uprisings with her illustrious and elite Knights of Pluto, led (currently) by Captain Adelbert Steiner, Princess Garnet Til Alexandros XVII's retainer. The original leader of the knights was General Falgabard, who had left the castle with some of his best men to slay the beasts of Light by Queen Brahne's orders. During times of crisis, knights of all types were much busier than normal.

That was why Zidane Tribal, a young member of the thieving ring "Tantalus", decided that it was the perfect time to steal the Crystal of Water right from under the Knights of Pluto's noses. Why steal one of the most precious treasures in the entire world? Simple: it was there.

"Hey Cinna," Zidane said to his friend as the young thief brushed his tail out (Zidane never minded the fact that he had a tail while the rest of the world didn't. He found it a perk, being the only one of his kind. Being a mutant was cool, after all!), "If I don't return tomorrow, notify my next of kin."

"And that would be…" Cinna looked up from his work at Tantalus' "secret" hideout (which was really a shop that sold silly trinkets). Said work appeared to be a map of the royal castle, "…who?"

"Oh… you know… Baku… Ruby… anyone I know…" He replied with a smirk. Cinna sighed as he continued his work on the map, and he cried out when his friend yanked the paper up and looked at it, "Hey, this is awesome, Cinna! Thanks!"

"Dammit, Zidane, I haven't finished it! Don't hold it like that, it'll run!" Zidane didn't seem to be listening to Cinna, and he sighed, placing his head in his hand and leaning against the desk, "You know what? Fine, just take it. When you run into a corridor I haven't drawn and you get lost and die, I'll laugh." Zidane was already out the door. Cinna groaned and snapped the feather pen in his hand, "Why do I even bother…?"

* * *

Princess Garnet was in the castle grounds. It was nearly dawn, as the sun was peeking up over the horizon, making the princess' eyes water from too much light. She looked up at the huge creature that slept just before her, sealed away to keep from doing damage to anyone in their world; she was looking at Castle Alexandria itself. Steiner stood behind her, staring up at the sleeping god, "No matter how horrible he must be, Alexander always looks beautiful during the dawn, doesn't he?" Steiner asked.

"He was sealed away one thousand years ago…" Garnet immediately began to recite from her texts, as if her retainer's voice brought down an unexpected pop quiz, "He bore down on the poor humans and brutally annihilated them. It took the power of eight Sages to seal him in this very spot. The Knights of Pluto were then formed to keep the seal secure and Alexandria was built around the creature."

"You certainly know your history, Princess."

She turned to Steiner with a smile, "Well, Doctor Tot is a wonderful teacher. He also said that Alexander was called by a Summoner all those years ago. Do they…" she frowned and turned away, "do Summoners really have that type of power? It's hard to believe that the only reason we can dwell in Alexandria without us being killed is because of a seal was created with the help of the Water Crystal."

"Summoners have tremendous power, Princess, but they are born to protect the world. I'm sure that when the power awakens within you, you will use it to save, not destroy."

Garnet found a sudden interest in her hands, folded as if praying. A sad expression was apparent on her face, "I just hope that I will not have to summon anything in my lifetime."

"That is a fine wish, Princess…" The captain said. The two stood in silence, looking up at the sealed monster, when they suddenly heard the pattering of armored footsteps, and Garnet looked up at one of the Pluto Knights, Mullenkedheim. He saluted his captain and explained his intrusion:

"Captain! It's bad! There's a thief that snuck into the castle!" Pluto Knight IX said quickly, "We need your assistance in his capture!"

Steiner growled, and took a step forward, "Can't you do anything on your own? Fine. I want you to escort Her Majesty to her room immediately." The captain turned to Garnet, "Princess, do you mind?"

She nodded, smiling, "That is fine. Take care, Steiner." The knight saluted his ruler and rushed off, clanking all the way.

Garnet waved as he walked off, and placed her finger on her cheek, as if in deep thought, "…Y…Your Majesty…" Mullenkedheim murmured, "S…shall we be off?"

The princess looked at the Pluto Knight, and smiled, "Oh, of course, but first…" She smiled at the man, and she led him off, "I feel a little hungry. Could we have something to eat before that?" Mullenkedheim liked the way she thought.

"Th… that sounds great, Your Majesty!" He said, following her off. Garnet smiled deviously.

* * *

Alexandria Castle was in no way anything less than lovely. It was filled with walls of alabaster and sapphire, just perfect for the structure known as the Castle of Water. Even though the ruling queen was as ugly as all get-out, it didn't detract from the stunning land of Alexandria, land of tranquility and beauty. However, all that tranquility was being sundered by the rough clanking of armor in pursuit of a young, reckless thief: one Zidane Tribal.

Zidane ducked into a small, darkened room, and two Pluto Knights rushed past. Weimer and Haagen ran past the room, shouting things like, "You're making me late for my date!" and "Feel my fury!" The thief breathed a sigh of relief as they ran out of earshot, and he stuck his head out, looking to see if anyone was coming. He snuck out and walked casually down the hallway. His tail twitched when he heard footsteps coming down the hallway behind him (it was easy to hear footsteps; all of the knights clanked as they walked), and he turned just in time to be spotted by what seemed to be the captain of the knights. Zidane gave a strangled cry and the knight pointed across the way at the thief, "Stop! Thief!"

"Not again!" Zidane cried, shooting off, his cloth shoes beating against the floor as the captain continued in pursuit of the thief. Zidane slid around a corner, abandoning the map's directions as he tromped quickly (but quietly) down the stairs towards the basement. That was where the Crystal of Water was supposed to be. Yet what was the point of arriving at the crystal and getting caught carrying it out? Nothing seemed to be turning out correctly this night! It was almost as if some higher entity was out to get him…!

Steiner continued running after the betailed thief he had found, huffing and puffing. The thief was so intent on getting to the basement… that was not only where Alexander's Seal was, but where the Crystal of Water resided. The captain grit his teeth as the thief ran directly towards the Crystal Room. It was almost as if Fate wanted him to get to that room…! But for what purpose…?

* * *

"Do you know what the thief is after…?" Garnet asked pleasantly as Mullenkedheim tore voraciously into the cook's leftovers.

"I'm not sure…" The Pluto Knight said, his tongue loosened further as he continued to eat the various foodstuffs before him, "But I heard something about the Crystal of Water. It's a national treasure, after all."

The princess blinked at the Pluto Knight as he ate the food, and she pressed him for more information, "Are you sure?" She asked, "The crystal… how could anyone steal it?"

"I'm not…" The princess stepped back slowly when Mullenkedheim leaned forward and placed his head lightly on the wooden table covered in a linen sheet, "entirely… sure…" Garnet waited for him to continue, but ended up smiling when she heard him snore. So much for the "illustrious and elite" Pluto Knights. She patted the man on his helmet, pocketed her sleeping grass, and snuck out of the dining room.

Garnet found the daylight practically blinding. Usually, Humans would bed down during the daytime, but with all the light, it made her too afraid to sleep. Light usually meant monsters were about, and not a day went by when she didn't dream of Alexander, the epitome of light, heartlessly attacking her people and devouring everyone in the castle alive. Even though she was tired, she didn't want to go to her room and sleep. She really wanted to see the thief. She let Mullenkedheim sleep in the dining room with his hand wrapped around a drumstick, and she snuck off to check the Crystal Room. Was it really true that the thief was after the Crystal of Water…? A smile spread across her lips as she hoisted up the hem of her dress and jogged faster. She HAD to see how he was going to be able to move such a huge item…!

She rounded a corner and daintily walked down the stairs, "Wait for me, Steiner," She said, a smile on her face, "I want to see you right when you catch that thief."

* * *

Zidane continued to run, and gave himself one moment to steal a glance behind himself. The damned captain was STILL on his tail (figuratively, as Zidane's tail probably couldn't support the knight's weight)! He charged blindly forward, and suddenly skidded to a halt. Looking up, he saw two huge doors, carved from pure sapphire. He glanced back one more time, and he shoved himself full-force against the door. It opened with a creak, and he slid through, grasping his tail to make sure the door didn't close on it. An air of serenity fell upon the thief, and all thoughts of running around disappeared as he looked up in mute rapture of the Crystal of Water. He was amazed that the rumors were true. The crystal had lost its darkness and was shining brightly. Now there was only one problem…

How was he supposed to drag a crystal THAT huge out of the castle, anyway…?

He suddenly remembered his predicament when he heard the knight enter the room as well. Looking around, Zidane groaned when he noticed that the place was totally devoid of anything to hide within. The Crystal Room was so huge and empty it was as if it was meant to be a battleground. The thief turned back to the knight, who smiled as he pulled his sword from his sheath, "Now, Thief. We can do this the easy way or the hard way…"

Zidane blinked at the doorway behind the captain, and gasped when he saw a shadow flit into the room. "H… Hey!" the thief shouted, pointing at the door, "S…something just came in!"

"I'll not fall for such a cheap trick!" The captain roared, rushing the thief. Zidane easily ducked under the attack and stared at the doorway again.

"I'm serious, Rusty!" The thief said, looking at the knight, "It could be a monst…"

"R…Rusty!" Zidane slid away from another attack not a moment too soon. "I am Adelbert Steiner, Captain of the Knights of Pluto of Alexandria! How DARE you call me…" Steiner was interrupted when the doorway Zidane was pointing to slammed shut and tight. Steiner stared in mute amazement as the thief scrambled to it, but no matter how the monkey-man tried, he couldn't get it open.

"We're stuck in here!" Zidane shouted across the room. Steiner lowered his sword and he stared at the thief. "What's going on?"

The knight turned away from Zidane, and looked at the crystal, shielding his eyes from the unnatural light. "It's initiating the test…" The thief didn't like the sound of that at all. "It's the Crystal's test of worthiness. It prepares a trial to judge one worthy of becoming a Dark Warrior."

"D… Dark Warrior?"

"Are you an idiot?" Steiner said to the thief with a growl, "Have you noticed all the light in our world? It's not natural, you know it isn't. Gaia cannot live with all of this light, and unless the Crystals can find those worthy of becoming the Warriors of Darkness…"

Zidane understood now. So it was like all the fairy tales told by the bards about the Dark Warriors saving the world from the Light. "They say that only those who are worthy can pass this test…" Steiner murmured.

The thief shrugged. "So are you saying we should curl up and let the Crystal kill us…?" Zidane blinked as he spoke. The knight seemed more intent on staring at the crystal's light. The thief had hardly noticed it, but it was shining even brighter than when he entered. HE didn't seem to notice; his eyes were always smaller than the others in the world, and he wasn't as susceptible to the pain that the others obtained when something was too bright. Steiner continued to shield his eyes, and the thief slid up next to the knight as the Crystal of Water's test was instigated.

A huge Land Turtle (read: Tortoise) had been summoned by the crystal, and the thief frowned at the creature. "So THAT'S the monster?"

"Hmm, Land Turtles are indeed ferocious creatures of the desert. Fiercely territorial as well…" Steiner said as the turtle tried to find its bearings after being dragged through whatever portal of space-time the Crystal of Water controlled. "However, I will not give up! I will do whatever I can to pass the test and live on for the Princess!"

"The princess' retainer, huh?" Zidane said with a smirk, "I didn't know you were so prestigious, Rusty… By the way, the name's Zidane: Zidane Tribal."

Steiner allowed the young man one glance. "Why did you assume I care about the name of a soon-to-be-beheaded thief?"

"Because it's always nice to know the name of the one who's going to die at your side, you know?" Zidane said with a shrug. Steiner decided to let that one slide as he prepared to battle the Land Turtle, his broadsword held in both hands. The beast appeared to recover from its travel through space and time, and it noticed the two before it. With a roar, it charged the men.

"Alright, Rusty, here's the plan," Zidane said haughtily as he nimbly dodged the initial charge, and practically skipped over to Steiner, who had almost gotten hit. The knight stood and glared at the thief. Zidane was about to speak, but the knight interrupted him.

"No, this is MY plan," He said, grabbing the thief's collar, "You deal some damage while I finish him off!" Zidane blinked, and the captain threw the betailed man at the beast, "Take care, filth!"

"You know," Zidane shouted as he landed on the Land Turtle's huge head, grasping said head as if it were the last thing on Gaia (seeing as how if he fell, he'd be crushed underfoot by the creature), "If this is payback for the 'Rusty' thing, you really need to curb that temper of yours!" The Land Turtle gave a scream and the monkey-man scrambled up the smooth head and slid down into the neck onto the shell. Steiner gaped at the beast as it charged again. Zidane simply sat on the creature and gave a hoot as it pursued the knight. Said knight was barely able to roll out of the way, and the thief hopped off the creature to land at his feet.

Zidane smiled down on the knight. "We won't be able to get out of this by fighting each other. We should work together for a little bit, at least until this test is over," He held out his hand, "Alright?"

Steiner screwed up his face and, after much debate in his mind, finally reached up and took the thief's hand. "But this doesn't mean that I won't turn you in after all of this is finished!"

"Sure, sure," Zidane said, waving off the knight's threats, "Now watch this!" the thief pulled out a bottle. Steiner looked at the young thief, and he smiled, "I got this from Blank, my friend. He's a potion maker, and a right great one at that."

"A potion maker?" Steiner inspected the bottle as the Land Turtle turned around, "Just what kind of potion is it that'll actually HELP us?"

"Just watch!" The thief chucked the bottle as hard as he could, and it burst around the beast. The Land Turtle gave a scream as wind erupted from the bottle, surrounding the creature with cold, biting air. "Blank once trapped the Antarctic Wind in that bottle himself! It's a great way to do damage to an enemy without having to do any work!" He smiled at Steiner. "And what can YOU contribute to this battle, Rusty?"

Zidane sniggered as he ducked out of Steiner's reach, and the captain growled, but lifted his sword. "I'll show you…" he said, taking a stance as he prepared his attack. The Land Turtle shook off the rest of the Antarctic Wind, and prepared to attack again. The knight struck first. He rushed the turtle, darkness surrounding his broadsword. Zidane whistled approvingly as Steiner brought the sword down on the Land Turtle, his dark sword effectively imbedding itself within the beast's cranium. The knight struggled with the flailing animal, and Zidane watched in interest as the creature gave one last groan, and slumped downward, its legs splaying on all sides. Only then did the captain pull his sword out; not a bit of darkness remained on the sword.

Zidane stared at the scene, and Steiner dropped onto his back leg, slouching a bit from the intense attack he released. He twitched in annoyance when he heard the thief give a hoot of joy as the beast disappeared, no longer useful to the Crystal of Water. "Wow! You actually went toe to toe with that thing! I guess I underestimated you, Rusty." He halfway expected the captain to hit him, but Steiner seemed intent on staring at the Crystal of Water as it shone brightly.

Zidane leapt back, fully alert, when he heard something in his mind. "Well done, my friends. You have passed the test."

"What the hell was that?" The young man shouted, looking around for the culprit. Steiner glared at Zidane, and pointed up. Zidane blinked at the Crystal, and then back at the knight. "So the Crystal's talking to us then? How is that even possible?"

"Two Warriors of the Darkness stand within this room now," The Crystal spoke, completely ignoring the thief. Zidane really didn't like the way it was conversing with the two. Sure, it didn't have a mouth, but his brain was hurting just trying to wrap around the fact that the words were IN said brain! "One is the leader who shall bring Gaia into an era of greatness…" the Crystal continued, "And the other is to protect the leader through the entire journey."

The thief blinked, and rubbed his head. "Wait a second…"

"This… can't be true…!" Steiner said, flailing slightly at the thought, "I… I am no Dark Warrior! I can't leave! Alexandria needs me!"

"You must protect the leader of the Dark Warriors. Without your leader, Gaia, nay, the universe itself will cease to exist."

Zidane stared at the crystal, and turned the words over in his mind as Steiner began to pale. It then hit the thief as well. "Wait a minute… if Rusty's the one who's supposed to protect the leader… then that means I'm…" A frown appeared on his face. "Look, Crystal. I know that if I don't save the world, it'll be bad for Gaia and all… but how do you suppose we go about doing it?"

"The Dark Warriors' first job is to seek out the other Crystals of Wind, Earth and Fire. They must collect what darkness is left within us, and destroy the encroaching Light to protect and save Gaia," Was the reply. Zidane bit his lip with a smile.

"Heh, the Boss isn't going to like this…" He muttered, "But who am I to refuse an omniscient Crystal? Hey Rusty, you in?"

"Absolutely not!" The captain growled, pointing accusingly at Zidane, "The last thing I will EVER do is refuse My Lady's protection to defend YOU, a filthy, squinty eyed monkey-tailed THIEF." Zidane rolled his eyes at the mudslinging.

"Hey, Crystal!" Zidane shouted up at the crystal, "What do you have to say about this? The guy doesn't seem to want to help me save the world!" The young man waited for the Crystal's reply, but nothing came. Zidane raised an eyebrow. "C…Crystal…?"

The thief nearly jumped when he heard banging on the doorway, followed by voices that made Steiner turn around expectantly. "Captain Steiner!" One voice shouted.

"Worried, the Queen was!"

"The Princess is waiting for your return!"

"This door, open it immediately!"

Zidane's tail flicked nonchalantly as Steiner moved to do just as he was ordered. "Hey, who are they?" he asked as the captain opened the door. Two men dressed as jesters leapt through the portal.

"I am Zorn!"  
"Thorn, I am!"

"They are the Her Majesty, the Queen's, personal… Gofers, you might say," Steiner replied, "Zorn, Thorn, this is the thief who was intent on stealing the Crystal of Water."

"Amazing!"

"Such skills from you, I totally expected, Captain!"  
"I totally expected such skills from you, Captain!"

"Let us arrest him!"  
"Arrest him, we shall!"

The two jesters stepped forward, but were stopped by Steiner, who grasped at their collars as easy as you please. "Unfortunately, we can't do that, Zorn, Thorn."

The men gave a gasp, and flailed angrily. "Why ever for, Captain?"

"This instant, you must release us!"  
"You must release us this instant!"

"Your reasonings, tell us now!" Thorn finished their ranting and Steiner explained, pointing angrily at the thief.

"The Crystal of Water has chosen him to be a Warrior of the Darkness. He is much too important to throw into the dungeon. Zorn, Thorn," the two men saluted the captain, "I request an audience with Her Majesty the Queen for this… Warrior…" He said, wincing visibly at the thought of having to say such a thing about Zidane.

"At once, Captain Steiner!"  
"At once, Captain Steiner!" And with that, Zorn and Thorn disappeared from the room. The thief began to follow them out, a smile appearing on his lips, his tail flicking back and forth. Steiner gave a sigh, and followed the three out with a groan. When the room was devoid of anything but the crystal, a tiny shadow, hidden behind the Altar of the Water Crystal, wiped sweat from its brow. That was a close one!

* * *

Queen Brahne, the fat-ass, butt ugly queen of Alexandria, sat upon her throne (that would normally fit two people at least) and stared intently at the savior of the planet. Zidane gave a halfhearted shrug and a cockeyed smile as the queen addressed her captain, "Captain Steiner!"

"Yes, My Queen?" Steiner spoke up, snapping to attention and saluting his queen.

"The Crystal spoke and said you are to watch this thief as he saves the world?" The queen asked.

"It… appears so… Your Majesty…"

Brahne nodded, waving her fan before her. "Then it's settled. Captain Steiner, until Gaia is restored to its original glory, you are hereby discharged from the Alexandrian Knights of Pluto."

That sentence hit Steiner like a ton of bricks. Zidane turned to the captain and waved his hand in front of the knight's face. There was no response. "Uh… Your Majesty, I don't mean to be rude, but isn't that a little harsh? I mean, this guy is…"

"I will not retract my statement. He must accompany you by order of the Crystal of Water, and if I know the captain, he is against the idea. Therefore, I will not allow him back into the service until both you and he return."

Zidane shrugged. He figured a queen would know her subordinates better than him. Besides, she hit the nail on the head. The Dark Warriors' leader scratched the back of his head. "So I suppose this is goodbye then?"

"Indeed. I shall offer you what little money from the treasury that we can afford…" The queen glared at the thief as his eyes lit up, "provided you use them in a way to assist your travels."

"Say no more, Your Majesty!" Zidane knelt before the queen and bowed to the ground, "I shall save Gaia and return forthwith!" He then stood up, making a face for two reasons. One: forthwith was a stupid word and he decided to stop trying to sound formal around the queen, and second: he had another question that needed to be asked. "But I'm not exactly sure where the nearest Crystal is… perhaps you know?"

"Such idiocy!"  
"Not to know something like that, it's moronic!" Zorn and Thorn said in unison. Queen Brahne silenced them, and answered the monkey-man.

"South of here, hidden within the Dying Forest is a shrine of magnificent engineering. Hidden well within it is the Wind Crystal. However… it's practically impossible to find without a guide." Zidane waited for the queen to continue, but she said nothing, motioning instead to someone behind him.

Zidane cocked his eyebrow with a questioning look. "Your Majesty?"

"The Black Mages live within the Dying Forest…" a new voice was heard, and Zidane turned to look at the intruder (although, with Queen Brahne's approval, she wasn't really an intruder…). Princess Garnet Til Alexandros XVII slid into the throne room. Her lovely white dress made her seem to gracefully float along the floor. Steiner snapped from his stupor just in time to watch her curtsy lightly to the Dark Warriors and walk past them to her mother's side. "Mother, forgive my imposition," she said as she dropped to the floor by Brahne's throne.

"Garnet, shouldn't you be in bed?" Brahne asked, "You…"

"Mother, I couldn't sleep with the light. It… scares me," Garnet replied, dropping to the floor and bowing her head lightly, "I apologize."

Brahne understood. "Do not apologize, my daughter. I am sure the Dark Warriors would be glad to thank you for your wisdom." The two royals looked up and Garnet blinked at Zidane. He was staring rather profusely at the princess.

"You are Zidane?" Garnet asked, "Shall I explain to you who the Black Mages are?" Zidane stopped staring and chuckled lightly.

"Y…Yeah, tell me more about the Black Mages…" He looked the young woman up and down. "Y… Your Majesty…"

"The Black Mages were once Humans that abandoned their lives to practice Black Magic. They hid themselves away from the world in the Dying Forest. Eventually, they evolved into a totally different species, although they have become incredibly spiritual…" Garnet went on to explain, "The University of Dali, close to the forest, works hard to study the Black Mages and see how much they truly differ from Humans. It appears the Black Mages know the forest much better than anyone else, and can probably lead you to the Wind Shrine."

Garnet stopped and looked at Zidane. He seemed to have shut his brain off, and the princess cleared her throat. "Did you get all of that?"

"Huh?" Zidane blinked, "Right, yeah, I got most of it, I'll just ask Rusty later for the rest of the stuff…" He pointed at the captain with a smile, and Steiner sighed lightly.

"Your Majesty, if I may…" Steiner spoke up. Brahne allowed the captain to continue, and he knelt before Princess Garnet, "My Lady… I truly apologize for having to leave. Please take care of yourself while I'm gone."

"Steiner, you know I won't do anything too brash," she replied. She curtsied to him (A curtsy, for someone so lowly as he?) and clasped her hands together, "I shall pray for your swift and safe return, both of you."

"Prayers from a princess as well as free loot? I suppose being a Dark Warrior's better than I thought," Zidane said with a cluck of his tongue. Steiner stared him down, and he shrugged, "I mean, it's totally not 'free loot'."

"Right, then, the two of you are dismissed," Brahne said with a curt nod of her head. Zidane nodded lightly and winked at Steiner.

"So then Rusty, let's go get the money, buy something cool for me to stab enemies with, and we'll head out to save the universe!" Zidane proclaimed, ushering Steiner on, "Come on, let's go!"

"Rusty!" Steiner shouted, chasing after the man, "I'll have your head for that, Chosen Boy or no!" Zidane laughed uproariously as Steiner chased the monkey man from the room. Both Brahne and Garnet looked at each other. Would the world really be safe in their hands...?

To Be Continued...

* * *

Hohoho a story and I suck at it.

Also just for lulz. The name Falgabard comes from the town in FFIII where Dark Knights dwell and train. I thought it fit this story, as Falgabard is like the leader and trainer of the Dark Knights of Alexandria. I find it funny, however, that the special boss in there mysteriously is a Ninja, and that the Dark Knights wield Katana. Seeing Steiner using one would be like... uhm... yeah...

Hope you guys enjoyed it a little. Send me a review and tell me how much you hated or liked it please.


	2. Chapter 2

Oh man how long has it been since I uploaded this? I'm so sorry all. But if you want, go see Myshu and give her a big hug. She was the one who reminded me that this existed and that I was being a horrible woman for not working on it. She also helped me when I was having trouble writing it.

Thanks Myshuuuuu!

I'm really really sorry for flying away from FFIX and having a scandelous affair with a FPS game instead (Dirge of Cerberus told us that shooters and RPGs don't mix, but did Fallout 3 tell us that FPSes and RPGs can work together? Oh god now I'm confused...). But you know if you like my writing, you really don't need to play TF2 to understand what's going on in TF2 fiction. So if you're having an itching to read my stuff, head over there and give it a look.

Alright, I'm done shamelessly plugging my other stuff.

READ ON!

* * *

There was a resounding "what!" in a general store's secret back room. "What? Yer leavin'?" Ruby asked the betailed thief. Zidane shrugged.

"Sounds like it. The Crystal seemed adamant about it," he replied.

"Well, that explains the reason why you brought an armed guard into what was SUPPOSED to be a secret hideout," Blank muttered as he worked on other various potions, probably some more Antarctic Wind or something equally useless in reality.

"I…I'm not here on any business, seeing as how I'm not a captain at the moment," Steiner replied, "so I really can't arrest any of you… but the very moment I return, I'm going to personally capture and throw the lot of you into prison!"

"Yeah yeah," Zidane said, brushing Steiner aside as he continued, "But you know, I'll be back before you guys know it. After all, how hard can saving the known universe BE, anyway?" He shrugged before anyone could answer that tidbit, and he turned to leave the only home he ever knew. The rest of the group stared after him, blinking rather incredulously at how quick that goodbye was. If Baku weren't out on an caper at that moment, the leader would probably have beaten the young man's skull in by now. They turned to Steiner, who gave what was left of Tantalus one last glare before clanking after Zidane, and returned their daily life. They just made sure to try and forget Zidane ever existed, because there was a high probability they would never see him again.

* * *

"By the way," Steiner said when he finally caught up with Zidane, "since you're so sure this will be an easy quest, you could have honestly kept a LITTLE of the money Her Majesty so graciously gave you, scum." Steiner grumbled as Zidane whistled nonchalantly down the street. The light was dimming as night began to fall on the two, and they were already prepared for leaving Alexandria to save the world. There was only one problem. Steiner wasn't finished whining at everything Zidane did. "Have you ever heard of the phrase 'don't spend it all in one place'?"

"With the way my money goes in and out of my pockets, it's just habitual to get rid of everything I have as soon as I get it," Zidane replied as if it were absolutely natural, "Besides, we won't need to replace these mithril daggers anytime soon."

Steiner sighed; he supposed that Zidane was right about that, at least. "I just wish you had the foresight to buy a tent. We aren't going to be able to sleep in an inn every day, you know."

Zidane's tail swished back and forth as the two wandered the road out of Alexandria and headed on the way to the Dead Forest. He turned to Steiner, who was encumbered by tons of traveling supplies. Honestly, knights and their "supplies", no wonder they weren't going to be able to sleep in an inn everyday. They weren't going to be able to *move* with him lumbering along. He then noticed what was at the top of the supplies Steiner brought along, and the tail twitched in overdrive. "Oh, come on, Rusty, you brought a tent! We're both men, we can probably…"

"If you think for ONE MOMENT that I will allow you to set ONE FOOT in MY tent, you are SORELY mistaken! I will make sure that you never…" Steiner stopped speaking when he looked further down the road.

"So I take that as a yes, Rusty?" Zidane asked with a smile of catlike proportions. He then realized that Steiner was looking at something, and he turned. His tail stuck straight up.

It was a girl. On the *road*. Oh man, traveling women were hot. She seemed to be dressed in the traditional robes of a White Mage, and she was resting for a moment on the road before continuing on. "Hey Lady! What are you doing here?" Zidane asked as the two men jogged up to her.

"It's very dangerous on the road with the monsters of light about. Thankfully, it's getting to be dark soon, so they won't be out in full, but you should be careful, Ma'am." Steiner said.

The woman didn't look up from her sandwich. She didn't say a word, either, which made Zidane get suspicious. "Hey Lady, who are you, anyway? Not many White Mages around nowadays. They don't travel all too often, either. What's your name?"

"P…Princess!" Zidane leaped up in surprise and turned to Steiner, who immediately figured it out. "It can't be! Why are you out here all on your own!"

Princess Garnet looked up from her food with an apologetic smile. "Heh, looks like my secret's out, huh? I knew I couldn't fool you, Steiner."

"Princess, you KNOW you shouldn't be out here all on your own! What on Gaia POSSESSED you to follow us all the way out here?"

Garnet pulled back her hood and Zidane scratched the back of his head. "Wait a minute, how did you get all the way out here anyway, Princess? I mean, it's not like the guards would let you out willy nilly."

Steiner began to lose all the color in his face as Garnet turned to Zidane. "I just jumped the walls."

"You… you what?"

"I climbed the largest tree near the wall and hopped over it." Garnet said matter-of-factly as she fluffed her hair out. "It wasn't so hard."

Zidane stared at the princess as Steiner sobbed a little ways away. "So wait, you hopped the ten foot wall and didn't break anything? You're quite athletic, Princess!" He looked away in thought; by the Dark Crystals, a traveling, athletic woman? That was such a turn on!

"This isn't the first time Her Majesty has run away from home…" Steiner groaned as Garnet stood up and wiped her robe of dirt. "But Your Majesty, why would you ever want to leave now, of all times? This is one of the most dangerous times ever! You do realize that…"

"…that the world is in need of help and as a Summoner, I have the power to help save the world?" Garnet explained. Steiner stared at her and she smiled. "Please, Steiner, let me come. I can heal wounds and I think I can even try to summon Shiva! I know that the next shrine is of the Wind Crystal, but I'm sure Shiva will assist us even then."

"For our sake, I sure hope she'll be useful," Zidane muttered.

"Do you honestly understand the powers of a Summoner and her Summons? She has the power to rend you and countless others asunder just by looking at you funny." Steiner growled. Zidane looked away as he continued, "do not think for a second that Her Majesty cannot hold her own out here." It was then that the knight turned to Garnet and bowed. "Your Majesty, it would be our honor to escort you further on."

Garnet looked extremely happy at the news, "Oh, Steiner! That sounds wonderful! Thank you for letting me come with you to…"

"Dali." Garnet stopped when she heard Steiner interrupt her! "We shall take you as far as Dali, and then you shall return home as soon as possible."

"But!"

"No buts! There are some orders even YOU cannot impose on me, Your Majesty," Steiner said, raising a finger at the woman. She opened her mouth to speak, and thought against it, looking away with a huff.

"I just wanted to help," she said lightly, taking the lead before the knight. Zidane slunk in front of Steiner and walked next to her with a shrug.

"Hey, you know, I'm glad you came along, Princess," Zidane said with a smile. Garnet looked at the thief's overtly wide smile, and she gave him a look that told him she knew just why he was glad she was coming along. "And hey, you never know. We could always change Rusty's mind by the time we reach Dali. After all, we have to pass through the Wind Shrine before arriving there, right?"

"I suppose you are right, Dark Warrior," Garnet replied after a little thought on the subject.

"Oh, so stuffy! Just call me Zidane, alright? Can I call you 'Garnet'?"

"You will address her as 'PRINCESS Garnet' if you want to keep your head, Monkey Man!" Steiner shouted from behind them. Garnet gave Zidane an apologetic smile.

"Understood, Zidane. You may call me Garnet, but I suggest you listen to Steiner as well. He has… quite a temper."

"I noticed…" Zidane said, trying not to roll his eyes. Silence passed for a while as the three wandered in the dark night (which made the princess and knight at ease, at least), and the thief suddenly spoke up. "So, how long until we get there?"

Steiner sighed and Garnet tried to smile in his direction…

* * *

Traveling across the world wasn't so bad, even if Garnet got special treatment. As a Summoner, she was able to call upon the help of the mythical Chocobo. Zidane felt a little put upon that the men had to walk and she could ride the bird, but he supposed it was okay for the woman to ride the Chocobo, he just…

"Hey Princess," he addressed her, "My legs are tired, you think you might…"

"Yeah right, the last thing I'm going to do is let two people ride me, bucko," the bird said in retort.

Zidane recoiled in surprise. "It can talk?"

"Of course I can talk!" The chocobo grunted. Garnet made a small noise that asked that the two don't fight. "What, you think that just because I'm a bird I'm dumb? Think I'm a bird brain!"

"I'm sorry; I just didn't think Chocobos could talk. I don't remember anything like that in the stories." Zidane muttered, looking upwards in thought.

"Choco, please be nice…" Garnet chastised her mount. "Choco can speak because he's an Eidolon. Any Eidolon has the ability to speak the Common Tongue."

"Honestly, the things I have to go through…" Choco huffed under his breath.

"Hey, I said I was sorry!" Zidane proclaimed.

"Finally!" Steiner interrupted, making Zidane jump. The four had arrived at a rather large landmark that made quite an ugly scar on the landscape. Zidane hadn't really ever left Alexandria (there wasn't much to see outside of it) so all he had ever seen were its beautiful, clear waters and, as a result, its lush landscape. But this forest…

"So, this is the Dying Forest?" Zidane asked. It was obvious; nothing in it looked even relatively alive. It looked like it was in perpetual autumn, what with dead leaves and creaking wood. It looked positively dreary.

"The Black Mages dwell in this land," Garnet replied, "if I recall my studies, Dalian scientists theorize that the Black Mages are sucking the very life from the forest. Their magic takes life out of everything around it when they cast."

Zidane whistled at the thought. "Man, let's hope one of them joins the group, you know? He can slaughter everyone with his black magic!"

"We aren't here to destroy, primate," Steiner rebuked, "we are here to preserve. You would do well to remember that."

Zidane was about to reply, but realized that Garnet had already gone forward towards the Dying Forest, and the leader of the Dark Warriors rushed after her with a cry, "Hey! Garnet, wait up!"

"That's 'Princess' to you!" Steiner roared, charging after the betailed young man.

* * *

The Black Mage Village was rather small; the Black Mages looked kind, but they were few and far between. Zidane wondered why there weren't that many around; he didn't see any children among the people. Did Black Mages even reproduce?

Zidane suddenly felt intense pity for the creatures.

Despite their kindness to the strangers, the Black Mages still managed to look incredibly suspicious of the three, and Zidane suddenly felt that it would be best to slink through the streets. He wasn't used to traveling with people, and he knew what those looks from the Black Mages meant. He snuck up next to Garnet and whispered to the others in the group. "So what do you think we should do?" he asked.

"Aren't you supposed to be the leader?" Steiner asked with a glare at the monkey man.

"Oh Steiner, it's hard being a leader," Garnet admonished her guardian. She then turned to Zidane and smiled at him. "I should know, after all."

Zidane didn't doubt that in the slightest, although he wondered what princesses did to help the kingdom. He bet they just hung out on a throne and let nobles kiss their hand. Man, best job ever; he'd give anything for that kind of job. Except the guys kissing his hand part, that'd be pretty awkward.

Zidane was snapped from his thoughts when Garnet came before the leader of the Black Mages. He was taller than the others around him, and Zidane wondered if the mages set each other apart by their height. Or was it that those with more magical power were just naturally taller? The world outside of Alexandria was a weird place…

"Good day to you, Princess of Alexandria." The leader bowed with a flourish before Garnet, and straightened up nicely. "I am Number Two Eight Eight."

"Two Eight Eight?" Zidane asked, "like two hundred eighty eight?"

"No," No. 288 said, turning to Zidane with the emotionless stare that all Black Mages possessed, "like Two Eight Eight. Number Two Hundred Eighty Eight stopped moving three years ago."

Zidane didn't get it at all. "You guys are named by numbers?"

"It is no different than you," No. 288 said, "We just like… numbers."

Garnet gave Zidane a disdainful frown. "Remember, Mr. Zidane, you need to at least attempt to be a little more diplomatic when it comes to meeting other leaders."

"Well, they could attempt to not be weird as hell," Zidane countered. Garnet and No. 288 didn't so much as twitch, but they stared at Zidane mutely. When the monkey man turned to Steiner for some sort of guidance, the guard simply sighed heavily.

"I apologize for Zidane's behavior." Garnet curtsied despite not wearing a dress to the leader, and attempted to mend the bruised fence, "It is truly an honor to meet you, No. 288."

"We have been expecting the Dark Warriors for years." No. 288 said. He raised his hand and everyone looked up at it. He pointed to a large building in the distance. It was so large that it peeked out over the dead trees. "The Wind Crystal is in that shrine."

"Awesome!" Zidane said, slamming his fist into his palm. He then remembered Garnet's frown, and winced. Man, it wasn't this hard impressing hot traveling chicks last he checked. "I mean… let's go…?"

No. 288 shook his head slowly. "You cannot go on your own. The Wind Crystal is protected by our magics, and cannot be traveled to without a guide."

"Please, No. 288. Time is of the essence. We need a guide as soon as possible." Garnet extended her hands to plead with the leader. "Is there anyone you can suggest?"

No. 288 nodded. "I can. He is one of our greatest magicians. In fact, he is the guardian of the Wind Shrine, and has already been chosen by the crystal as a Warrior of Darkness."

Garnet clasped her hands together, and turned to the others. Steiner was wearing a rare smile, and Zidane shrugged. "Sounds like a plan. A Black Mage sounds like the perfect Dark Warrior." He pumped a hand in the air, and for once, no one gave him a horrified face. "Show this mage, No. 288!"

No. 288 nodded, and stepped aside. The three stared as a Black Mage stepped forward, out of the hut. He was…

Zidane's jaw dropped. He turned lightly from the mage to Steiner and back again. "Holy…"

The Black Mage was huge, taller even than Steiner. He bowed with the same flourish that No. 288 did, and stood upright. He brought his staff to the floor with a "Crack!" and snapped his heels together in a Black Mage salute to Zidane, the leader of the Dark Warriors. "I am Number Seven Seven Six, and it will be my pleasure to work under you to save our world, Sire."

Zidane stared at the giant mage, and suddenly he smiled brightly, his tail twitching in utter delight. This was going to be the best adventuring party EVER.

* * *

To Be Continued...

Hope you guys enjoyed it so far!

No, it's not Vivi! OR IS IT? I guess you'll just have to figure out?

That or guess.


	3. Chapter 3

Been a while since I worked on this, huh?

Hope you enjoy this chapter. It's got ACTION which means it's automatically AWESOME, right?

READ ON!

* * *

"So, No. 776." The four were traveling through the forest. The Black Mage was leading the way, and Zidane was really interested in him. He had been bugging the man ever since they started. "What kind of magic do you cast, anyway? You can blow things up, right? Can you blow something up right now?" Steiner rolled his eyes in exasperation, and Garnet tried to keep from giggling too audibly.

"Indeed I can, Sire, but I should not use my magic frivolously."

"What's up with all this 'Sire' and 'Mister'?" Zidane smiled widely and threw his arms up in the air. "I'm just the savior of the planet! Zidane! Call me Zidane!"

"Indeed I can, Zidane. I apologize for my earlier transgressions."

"Come on!" The monkey man groaned and rubbed his head. "All you guys are so stuffy. This isn't the way an awesome as hell adventure should be!"

The Black Mage blinked his shining eyes at Zidane. "You wish me to be…?"

"Loose!" No. 776 didn't get it. He cocked his head, and Zidane flailed. "You gotta be more like me if you wanna travel with me! Come on, loosen up, Bud!"

No. 776 looked mortified at the thought of "loosening up". "…Bud…? But my name is…"

Zidane punched the Black Mage on the arm in a friendly manner. "Well now your nickname is Bud. Honestly, don't you guys have nicknames? Something easier to say?"

"Nickname… nickname…" No. 776 rubbed his arm lightly and thought for a moment; the word was so alien to him. Suddenly, he seemed to understand. "Ahhh, you mean like my little brother."

Now it was Zidane's turn to be confused. He didn't doubt that the Black Mages could have siblings, but he was surprised to find that No. 776 only equated "nickname" with his little brother. "Yeah, I guess. What's your little bro's nickname?"

"My little brother is living with Humans like you," No. 776 said. He nodded as they walked through the Dying Forest. "Those in Dali wanted to see just how we differed from you Humans. Since I was chosen to become the temple guardian, and my little brother's and my parents had already stopped moving…"

"Oh, that's horrible…" Garnet looked saddened at the very thought of where the story was going. "Your little brother was living on his own? That's so sad."

"That's why I asked him to go with the Humans of Dali. I knew they would care for him in my stead. He sends me letters every few weeks, so we stay in touch."

"Well, that's good!" Garnet proclaimed. There was silence for a while as the group continued to trudge through the foliage.

Suddenly Zidane flailed in anger. "But that… that doesn't explain anything!"

No. 776 adjusted his hat. "It doesn't explain what, Si- Zidane?"

"The nickname, the nickname!"

"Oh, right!" No. 776 felt sheepish and looked so. "I'm sorry. I forgot what we were talking about. The Dalians had a hard time calling my little brother Number Seven Seven Seven every time, so they gave him a name of their own. Now his Human name is Vivi. I suppose that is similar to your nickname; is that true?"

"Vivi…" Garnet gushed. That was such a cute name… She did her best not to blush at the thought.

"We'll be passing through Dali after we collect the Wind Crystal's blessing," Steiner said, partially to comfort Garnet's desire to see Vivi, partially to remind everyone that he was indeed still there, "We can see Vivi and you may catch up before we leave for the Earth Crystal."

No. 776 nodded lightly. "That sounds like a wonderful idea. I miss No. 777 so much." The Black Mage looked like his spirits were lifted at the prospect of seeing his brother again. He pressed forward with determination, hoping to get the whole thing over with and see No. 777 again. Zidane turned to Garnet, who smiled lightly. The leader smiled, and nodded back at her. Whether or not the princess would be taken back to Alexandria when they reached Dali, both wanted to go there and see the happy reunion.

* * *

The temple looked rather old, which was obvious, as it was built around the crystal during the time that the Black Mages were still Human. It looked like it was worn down, and vines grew up all over the stone. "This is the Wind Shrine," No. 776 announced.

Zidane's eyes sparkled at the prospect of exploring it. "Man, look at how big it is! There must be tons of treasure inside!" He opened his mouth to continue, but stopped when he turned around and looked at No. 776 and Garnet. He kinda forgot that the Black Mages had been protecting the temple from treasure hunters like him for a thousand years. "I mean… let's go get the crystal's blessing!"

Garnet didn't smile at his exuberance, however, and followed No. 776 into the temple with a sigh. Zidane wilted as Steiner brushed by him, a smug look on his face. Zidane frowned and crossed his arms. Never mind, this was the worst adventuring party ever!

He was just about to follow the others into the temple when something set him on edge. He whirled around; there was nothing.

"Zidane," Garnet said, "is something the matter?"

The monkey man's tail twitched, and he whipped out his daggers. "We aren't alone here. I coulda sworn I saw something out there."

Steiner placed his hand on the handle of his broad sword, and called back to Garnet, "Princess, I would advise you to take shelter in the temple. This monkey and I can handle whatever is out there!"

The Black Mage shook his head. "That won't do us any good." Zidane blinked, and he turned around to look at No. 776. "If this creature was able to get through to the temple, it must be much stronger than any of the creatures of light. We would do better to retreat to a location where I can utilize the powers of the Wind Crystal fully. If that's okay with you, Sire."

"You can do that?" Zidane asked. He looked at Steiner, and nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Let's head in." The four entered the temple and rushed to the crystal room; Garnet led the four, followed by No. 776, Steiner, and finally Zidane. "By the way, Bud, I thought I told you to stop calling me that!"

No. 776 turned to look at Zidane. He was grasping his hat so it didn't fall from his head as he ran, and he nodded. "Right, Zidane, I…" He stopped and went rigid. In a flash, he rushed the leader. "Master Zidane!" The monkey man gave a cry and leaped out of No. 776's way. The Black Mage rushed past Zidane and held his staff aloft; "I won't let you hurt Zidane!"

The other three turned to see what No. 776 had spotted, and Garnet gasped aloud. A sickeningly beautiful monster advanced upon them. It was dressed all in a white robe, and its hair was made out of emerald green snakes. It nearly reached Zidane, but instead grasped the Black Mage's arm and held him where he stood. It hissed in anger, but was not able to cause much harm to him. In an instant, a crack of thunder erupted from No. 776's staff. His enemy was thrown backwards, and it landed on the floor.

Zidane blinked at the monster as it thrashed on the floor. The man smiled at No. 776 as the Black Mage stumbled backwards, breathing heavily. "Holy crap, thanks, Bud."

"It's down, but not out!" Steiner shouted. He drew his blade as the medusa dragged itself from the floor. "We must fight here! This is as far as we can go!"

"There's no way we can let this thing get us from behind," Zidane said, flipping his daggers in his hands as the creature screeched at them and charged, "get ready, here it comes!"

The two power houses rushed to meet the monster head on, and Garnet rung her hands in sadness. "I don't… I don't have any spells that can help… not now, anyway. Oh, if only I had been more studious and remembered the incantation for Protect."

"Do you know how to cast Panacea?" No. 776 asked. Garnet turned to him as he brought his staff up and called up a firestorm. The monster screeched and retreated from the fire, and Zidane rushed forward to slice it in two.

The princess blinked at the strange question. "Do… I? I do, but…" She looked at the Black Mage, and her eyes widened. His breathing had become labored. She didn't notice it; one of those hair snakes had bitten him! "No. 776!" She rushed to his side and worked to save him. "Panacea!"

No. 776 winced in pain and dropped to one knee. "I… can… barely move…"

"No. 776?" Garnet didn't understand. What was wrong? She reached out to touch his shoulder, and she recoiled in horror at how rough it felt. She placed her hands over her mouth in horror. "It isn't poison… it's stone!"

"Heh… This wasn't… supposed… to happen…"

This wasn't…! She didn't know even the basics of starting the Esuna spell! She couldn't heal No. 776 like this! "Zidane! Zidane, Steiner!" Garnet turned to the men and waved them down. "We need a soft! Do either of you have a soft?"

"Soft?" Zidane shouted back at Garnet. He slammed into Steiner's shoulder and asked, "Did you pick up any softs, Rusty?"

"You were the one who used all the money on those daggers of yours!" Steiner roared back. "We had no money for softs!"

Zidane stood there for a moment, at a loss for words. So his decision to blow all his money on awesome as hell daggers was killing No. 776 as they spoke? Well… well… "Dammit, this wasn't supposed to happen! Rusty, hold her off!"

"ME!"

"Those stupid snake hairs can't bite through your rusty armor! Just hold her off!"

"Zidane, come back here, you…!"

Zidane ignored Steiner and pushed off of the knight. He whirled around and rushed past Garnet to No. 776's side. He knelt down in front of the Black Mage and grasped his shoulders. "No. 776! Hold on for me!" The man shouted at his new friend.

"I… I'm sorry, Zidane…" the Black Mage said softly, "I was… absolutely… useless…"

"No! No no no no NO." The monkey man shouted, shaking the Black Mage who was practically a statue by that point. "You're not! You're not useless! It was me! I…! I've never really traveled with anyone and I was only thinking about myself! And now… now you're…!"

"Zidane, I…"

"Zidane!" Garnet cried, "Zidane, the monster's attacking Steiner! He can't hold her back forever! Zidane, do something!"

The leader cursed at his ineptitude. He was supposed to be a leader and protect his friends and lead them in battle, and his friend, the person who offered his life for the monkey man, was writhing before him and dying and it was ALL HIS FAULT. "776! 776, please!"

There was no answer. His face was screwed up in pain and he was doubled over; the stone assured that he would stay that way forever. Zidane's tail thrashed in anger and the man grasped his head. "No! No! This wasn't supposed to… this wasn't supposed to…!"

"Zidane!"

And if he didn't do something soon, Steiner would meet the same fate, and they would all die and he was supposed to DO something, dammit! The man stood up and whirled around. His tail stuck straight up and he held his daggers in front of him. "This is it. This is for everything! All of you and your bright lights, destroying our world! I won't let you take anyone else!"

For someone condemning the light, the monkey man seemed pretty bright himself. He was so bright, in fact, that both Garnet and Steiner shied away from him like he was a monster himself. He didn't seem to care by that point, however. All that mattered was kicking the Medusa's ass and taking care of his friends!

Steiner stumbled backwards, and he would have tripped over his own two feet if he hadn't run into a temple pillar as a bright blur practically flew past him. Garnet had to hold her hands over her eyes. The light was so bright to her light sensitive eyes that she was being blinded. The screams were horrible. Zidane's roars were terrifying. It was then that there was a cry, and Garnet squinted one eye open just wide enough to see Zidane fly across the room, a victim of one of the Medusa's attacks. He flew straight over No. 776's statue, dropped to the floor, bounced back up, and flew another foot before landing again and rolling a few feet.

Garnet twitched to move to Zidane's side and heal him, but she stopped when the Medusa screamed and bore down on the princess. Garnet gave a cry and shrunk down in horror…

…a sword, coated in the power of darkness, rose up from behind the creature. Steiner's eyes burned with a fire of determination; a determination that made sure NO ONE hurt the princess. A Medusa couldn't very well hurt Garnet when its head was rent from its shoulders by a sword infused with shadow, right?

Right.

The Medusa's head flew off its body and landed with a satisfying "splat!" on the floor. Garnet took a deep breath, regained control of her body, and looked at Steiner. "…Th-thank you, Steiner," she said.

"Princess, are you alright?" Steiner asked, advancing on the princess to inspect her closely (as he was still partially blinded from Zidane's strange actions beforehand), "the monster didn't hurt you, did it?"

"I'm fine, Steiner, I'm…" Garnet suddenly remembered what she was planning on doing before she was assaulted, and she whirled around to tend to Zidane. "Zidane, Zidane, are you okay?" Garnet's bodyguard curled his lips into a disgusted frown, but he followed behind his princess obediently as she worked to care for the Dark Warrior.

The monkey man was already up on his hands and knees, shaking himself out like a wet dog. "Ugg, I'm fine, just… what the hell happened?"

"That's just what I want to know, you squinty eyed monkey boy!" Steiner growled as Zidane flipped himself over, dropped on his rump, and rested his arms on his upraised knees. He listened as Steiner continued his rant. "You were as bright as the full moon at night! In fact, I'd say it was worse!" Zidane cocked his head in confusion as Steiner glared at the man. "I'd go on to say you were as bright as the Devil Sun…"

"Steiner, you can't say that!" Garnet said in horror, "Zidane's a Dark Warrior. No, he's the leader of the Dark Warriors! He simply can't have light within him. It'd be everything that's against the world!"

Zidane still looked confused about what they were talking about. "I don't even get it; I don't remember much. What happened?"

Garnet looked at Zidane, and tried to find the appropriate words to use. "Oh, Zidane, it was like… like nothing I've ever seen. You… you transformed into… into _something_."

Zidane frowned at the thought. "And I don't remember any of it. It's like I was in a trance, or something." He chuckled at the word; "Trance, Transform… Hah, they're real similar." He then forgot about the whole ordeal and hopped back up. "By the way, what happened to the Medusa?"

Steiner blinked stoically. "I removed its head from its shoulders to protect the Princess. It is dead, now."

"Are you so sure?" Steiner stared at Zidane in question, and both he and Garnet slowly turned around. The three stared in horror and disgust at the decapitated head of the Medusa; it was floating in the air and wearing the most horrible smile. However, that's not what the three were worried about:

"How in all of Gaia does that even WORK?" Steiner cried.

"It's a monster of light, does it NEED to follow natural physics?" Zidane asked. The other two stared in thought. The monkey man had a point.

"Just just just just what are we going to do!" The knight shouted. His face was set like stone as the two men moved to stand in front of and protect the woman behind them, "Zidane, if anything happens to me…"

"It won't," Garnet suddenly said. She held her staff like it was the last thing on the planet, and she steeled herself for what she was going to do. "It won't hurt any of us ever again, do you understand?" The two men turned lightly, staring at her in surprise.

"Princess?"

"Garnet?"

"O Mistress of the Cold, Lady of Frost, One Tied to the Crystal of Water, I beseech thee!" Garnet focused her energies into her staff and released them: "Shiva! Come!"

Where the three were at the moment, no one could say; all that was in the room was a statue and the head of a Medusa. The room got so cold that the very walls were collecting ice. In a flurry of snowflakes, the Lady of Frost herself appeared. She hovered above the floor, her toes barely touching the ground. She was so close to the floor that it began to freeze over. The entire room was reaching absolute zero; it was just the way Shiva liked it. The blue Eidolon held her hand up, and in an instant, the head was encased in ice. Shiva frowned at it stoically, and she spread her hands apart. Then, emotionlessly, she slammed her hands together, and the ice encasing the Medusa's head shattered as if she had crushed it with her bare hands.

That was all that needed to be done. Shiva slipped down into the ice that she created on the floor, and she was gone.

All Zidane remembered was Garnet's summoning Shiva, and the next thing he knew, the place was cold as hell and the monster was frozen and oozing defrosting blood. It was as if time stopped and suddenly restarted for him. "Woah… wha- what happened?"

Garnet stared in front of her, clutching the staff and gasping for air. "I… I-I-I…" She stuttered for a few more seconds, and then regained her composure. "I summoned Shiva, and she killed it for us."

"I can see that, but…"

"Princess!" Zidane whirled to the side when Steiner cried out. Garnet had dropped to the floor, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "Princess, speak to me!"

"I'm fine, Steiner, really." Garnet tried her best to look up at her knight and smile at him, but it came out crooked from her exhaustion. "I'm just… tired, is all. Shiva and I are connected when I summon her. It takes a lot of strain on the body."

"I know that more than any other knight at the castle, Princess," Steiner said, kneeling before her and bowing low, "but I… this is the first time it has taken such a toll on you."

"This is the first time I summoned someone other than Choco," she pointed out with a smile.

Steiner looked so worried that Zidane raised an eyebrow in question. "Please don't exert yourself over us, Princess…"

"What about No. 776?" Zidane said. He looked over at the statue of their friend, and he dropped to his knees to inspect the partially frozen statue of No. 776. Zidane reached out; he hardly recognized that it was cold to the touch. It was his… it was his fault this happened. "Dammit, Bud, I'm so, so sorry…"

"Is there absolutely nothing we can do?" Steiner asked. He moved forward as Zidane fought with his anger. The tailed man slammed his fist to the floor, his tail thrashing in anger. "There must be something!"

"Do you think…" The men looked up at Garnet. She wrung her hands around her staff in thought. "Do you think the Wind Crystal can do something about No. 776?"

Suddenly there was a tinkling sound in the three's heads, and they whirled around to look at the room behind them. There was a sudden feeling of security that emanated from the room. They were sure it was the Wind Crystal.

"Come, Dark Warriors." The crystal said to them within their minds, "There is much to talk about."

The room that the Wind Crystal sat in was very similar to the room that the Water Crystal was held in. It made Zidane uneasy; the Wind Shrine was supposed to have been built thousands of years ago, and Alexandria castle was built around the Water Crystal only a few hundred years ago. Why would the architecture be so similar? He stood before the crystal with Steiner and Garnet at his side. The crystal shone unnaturally. Only Zidane, with his tiny eyes, was able to look at it without squinting.

"Do you think you could say something, Zidane?" Garnet asked, "You're the leader; it should listen to you."

"So what's up?" Zidane demanded. "How can we save No. 776?"

The Wind Crystal did not reply.

"Helloooo?"

There was nothing. "Worst crystal ever." Zidane grumbled, crossing his arms.

The monkey man protested loudly when Steiner shoved him aside and pleaded with the crystal. "Wind Crystal! Please do something!"

The Wind Crystal twinkled, and the three heard its "voice" within their heads. "There is nothing I can do to save No. 776. At least, not with what little power I have left."

"What!" Zidane flailed in anger. "It answers to YOU but not to me? What gives? Crystal! Talk to me!"

The Wind Crystal did not reply.

Steiner played mediator for the time being. He was surprised at the crystal's actions as well, after all. "Is there a reason you will not speak to Zidane, O' Great Wind Crystal?"

"He is not a Dark Warrior," the Wind Crystal said flatly.

There was silence. The three stared at the crystal, and Zidane exploded. "The HELL? The Water Crystal dragged me off to save this stupid planet and now I'm suddenly not a Dark Warrior! This isn't funny! What in the world is going on?"

"Oh… oh no…" Zidane stopped and turned to Garnet, who had her hand over her mouth. She gulped audibly and she took a step forward. "G-great Wind Crystal. Am… am _I _the other Dark Warrior…?"

"You are indeed, Leader of the Dark Warriors. Was there confusion? I was unaware."

Garnet's face exploded in embarrassed red as the men stared at her. "Princess. Wh-what is going on…?"

"Oh Steiner, I didn't mean to keep it a secret from you…" Garnet partially lied, "but I couldn't really tell you… you remember when you were fighting that Land Turtle? You two were doing the test for the Water Crystal?"

"Yeah, it was a pushover," Zidane said. He suddenly took a deep breath. He caught on. "Wait, how did you know what monster we were fighting unless…?" He jumped in surprise. "I KNEW someone entered the room before the door slammed on us! You were in there the whole time!"

"Princess! You were hiding in there the whole time? You could have been hurt!" Steiner cried in horror.

"The Water Crystal started the test the moment the chosen leader of the Dark Warriors entered the room. That's why the door was shut tight the moment she entered," the Wind Crystal said.

"And that's why the Water Crystal ignored pretty much everything you said when it was explaining our destiny," Steiner said. The pieces were all falling into place. "And all along, this thief wasn't even necessary!"

Zidane opened his mouth, and closed it. "Well then, that's that then? What about No. 776? Who'll be the third Dark Warrior without him, anyway?"

"His brother is his closest living relative," the Wind Crystal said, "With my last ounce of power, I will give my blessing to him. Dark Warriors, travel to Dali as soon as you can. He will be in danger; the Light Monsters will be after him after this."

Garnet looked scared at the thought. "I… me, the leader of the Dark Warriors…?" she asked, clutching her chest in thought.

"You made a great leader before, Garnet. Err, Princess." Garnet blinked and looked at Zidane. He smiled at her. "Yeah, you talked with No. 288 really well. I'm sure you can do it."

"Zidane?"

"I guess I'd better get out of here then, huh?" Zidane rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "You don't need some ragged thief to muck up the place, right? Take care of the Princess, Steiner. I'm looking forward to seeing you again when you two come home."

Garnet watched Zidane as he turned around and trudged off. Steiner snorted. "Good riddance!" the knight said.

Garnet stared at the tail that swung dejectedly as he left. She wrung her staff and bit her knuckle in thought. Steiner turned and opened his mouth to speak happily to his protectee, but Garnet suddenly rushed forward, holding her hand out. "Zidane, Zidane, wait!"

So… close… Steiner sighed and jogged after the princess. Zidane turned to face Garnet as she caught up with him. She wrung her staff and sighed. "Zidane, I know your heart's in the right place. I… I wouldn't object to you coming with us."

Zidane stared at Garnet in surprise, and suddenly he smirked widely. He put his hands on his hips and leaned close to Garnet, his tail flicking like a cat who found some prey. "What's that, Garnet? Are you coming on to me? I mean, I know that I'm not nobility or anything, but it's hot enough for me to seriously consider it."

Garnet put her hands on her hips in retaliation. "Zidane!" she admonished.

"I'm joking! I'm joking!" Zidane lied, "But yeah, I'll come with you. I've been meaning to meet Vivi anyway. I really should at least apologize to him. It is pretty much my fault for No. 776's kicking the bucket."

"Can you at least attempt to speak with some sort of refinement, squinty eyed scum?" Steiner asked.

"Look, you guys, think about it. The Wind Crystal said he couldn't restore No. 776 'in his present state' or whatever. You think after we save the world, we can save No. 776?"

Garnet suddenly smiled brightly. "Oh, Zidane, I hope you're correct. That'll give us just another reason why we need to succeed in our mission."

"And it'll give me a reason to stay in the group!" Zidane proclaimed. He leered at Garnet as the three left the Wind Shrine. "Not as if you weren't reason enough, Garnet."

"Monkey Boy, I'm watching you!"

"Sure thing, Rusty."

"Grrrrg!"

Garnet couldn't help but giggle as the men chased each other around the Dying Forest. Perhaps… perhaps the three would do well after all…

* * *

So Vivi does appear and I kill off dudes left and right. WOOO?

Part of this reason was to have little Vivi still be rather small and timid and not very knowledgable about Black Magic but still be able to be chosen. Hope you guys don't hate me too much!

I hope you enjoyed it. Send me feedback please~


	4. Chapter 4

Been a while since I even bothered with this. Most don't seem to care.

So if you care, then this is for you!

READ ON!

* * *

_All alone in the darkness. It was just how little Vivi liked it. In a world of darkness, he didn't have to worry about any light monsters coming and hurting him or the Dalians, whom he had come to love as a second family. He always had dreams like this; sitting in the darkness and conversing with his brother or with Slai, his best friend in the whole world._

_Not that he was actually conversing with them; they were just figments of his imagination. Sometimes, though, he felt he could only be true to himself when he was speaking to himself._

_And then Vivi wondered if he really was as weird as the other children in Dali said he was… Perhaps though, perhaps it would be best to try and do something different for once, to at least pretend that he wasn't weird. What did not weird kids dream of anyway?_

_Something was coming out of the darkness. Vivi could tell, because in his dreams, he could see perfectly in the dark somehow. One didn't need to worry about impossible things when one was dreaming, after all. Vivi looked up at the figure with a blink; that wasn't a familiar character at all. Perhaps all this "trying not to feel weird" stuff was actually working? The figure looked like it was a young man with a smile on his face and a tail that swished slowly back and forth. Vivi stared at the vision; so much for not having a weird dream._

_The creature stepped up to Vivi, who blinked at him with wide glowing eyes, and the figment began to speak; "So, you're the one whom the crystal chose?"_

_Vivi stared, dumbfounded, for a moment before replying. "I… I think you have me confused with my brother."_

"_Ah yes… your… brother…" Vivi didn't know what to make of the figment's tone of voice. "Well then, I guess you won't be too hard to off."_

_Vivi squeaked. "O…off?"_

_The creature smirked devilishly and drew a long string of wire from God knew where. He wrapped each end around his two hands and held it taut before him. "Stand still, little creature. I'm here to kill you."_

* * *

Vivi awoke from his nightmare with a scream. The little Black Mage grasped at his hat and dragged it over his eyes, sobbing deeply. The little girl in the room awoke with a start and looked around until she found her friend. Dutiful Daughter Slai frowned at Vivi's sadness, and she slid out of her bed to sit next to his. "Was it another nightmare, Vivi?"

"I-I don't want to go to sleep again…" Vivi said, his voice muffled by his hat.

"But you have to sleep, right? If you don't have to, you should tell Papa; he'll be excited to hear something like that." Vivi cast Slai a pitiful look, which could not be seen with his hat in the way. Slai understood immediately what Vivi was trying to convey, and she sighed to herself. Sometimes it was hard to be both dutiful to her father and be a friend to the Black Mage that her father left her in charge of. "I… I won't tell Papa that you don't have to sleep if you don't want me to…"

Vivi was silent, and so was the room for a few moments. Finally he lifted his hat and looked at Slai with his bright eyes. "I don't want to go to sleep again…"

Slai snuck closer and hugged her friend close. "Then don't. But I'll be here if you want to try again."

Vivi nodded and curled up slowly, letting Slai hug him close. There were no words that were said, but no words needed to be spoken, either. _Thanks, Slai._

_You're welcome._

* * *

"No."

Zidane frowned. He had been doing that a lot since he started actually having to treat Steiner with respect. Feh, Princesses. "Who said you had a say in it?"

Garnet, who was dismounting from Choco, chastised the young man. "Zidane!"

"Oh come on, you always take his side!"

She put her hands on her hips (and Zidane tried very hard not to drool). "Zidane!"

He lifted his hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine, I just don't see why a princess is so interested in democracy. Why're you against the idea, Rusty?"

"Because."

"…"

"…"

"…Because why?"

"Just because."

Zidane frowned deeply and turned to Garnet. "Talking to Rusty is like ramming your head into a brick wall repeatedly."

Garnet smiled in reply. "I guess that's why his armor's as hard as one, don't you think?" Steiner, his arms crossed, snorted in anger, but did not speak. Garnet took the time to join the "conversation", "Regardless, I agree with Zidane."

"WHAT." Zidane dug his finger into his ear to stop the ringing that Steiner caused in them. "How could you ever think that he…"

Garnet nodded at her guardian. "He is right (for once); I shouldn't move around with my name the way it is. A Dark Warrior is cause enough to attract crowds, can you imagine how much worse it would be if they knew I was Princess Garnet Til Alexandros?" She turned to Zidane and smiled; the monkey man melted. "I need an alias. What do you think is good…?"

Zidane thought to himself as Garnet murmured to herself. "We could try something simple, like Jenn, or Erika. Or how about…"

"Something befitting a PRINCESS, scum!" Steiner shouted, shoving the thief around hard enough that the monkey man had to swing his arms to stay upright, "It's bad enough that you're putting dirty peasant thoughts into her head; we don't need you messing things up anymore!"

"I need a name that fits an adventurer: something dark, brooding…" The men blinked and looked up at Garnet as she thought aloud to herself. "Something that sounds exactly like what a Dark Warrior would have!"

Zidane shrugged. "Squall?" Steiner slammed his fist into the betailed man's head.

"Wait a moment. Zidane, what weapon do you use, by the way?"

The young man was rubbing the goose egg from his head when he addressed her. "Huh? My daggers, you mean?"

"Yes, yes, that's perfect!" Garnet said happily, clapping her hands together.

Steiner didn't like where this was going at all. "What is, Your Highness?"

The princess placed her hands on her hips and smiled at her friends. "From now on, I want you two to call me Dagger!"

Steiner's jaw dropped. "D…Dagger!"

"That sounds like a wonderful name, Dagger!" Zidane proclaimed, leaping straight into the swing of things in an attempt to get on her good side (and her hot side as well, of course), "Now, we'll have to help you get a little more loose as well. No use having a brooding name if you act like Princess Garnet all the time, right?"

The two began to walk off to Dali together. "Right. Can you help me with that, Zidane?"

"Of course I can, Dagger!"

"Zidane, get your tail off of my waist."

"Oh, right, gotcha. Brooding. Right. No boyfriends (*cough* yet). Totally got it."

The two spoke with each other as Steiner clanked along behind them, waving his arms about in horror. "Princess! Princess, please wait for me!"

* * *

"Good morning, Vivi!"

"Good day, Vivi!"

"Helping Vivi out today, Slai? What a good daughter to help her father so!"

"Aren't you two so adorable~ Vivi, are you going shopping, today too?"

Vivi had gotten used to all of the attention he was getting over the time he spent in Dali, but he still felt too shy to speak up. Slai did that for him, answering things such as "Good day to you too, Mrs. Fellstern!" and "Yes, we're shopping for Papa. He even gave us enough gil for a few snacks!" In fact, many of the new researchers to Dali simply assumed the child was mute until they were told otherwise. But that didn't stop the villagers from attempting to make the little Black Mage at home. The researchers hoped that Vivi would open up and talk to someone other than Slai or her father someday, and so the villagers did their best to try and talk to him. If only they knew what was going on in the child's mind…

Vivi remained silent the entire time, letting Slai speak for him. He didn't feel like talking, even if they usually talked to him. Something was wrong today; something just didn't feel right. It wasn't just his nightmare, either. Something just felt _different_. He wished his brother was here to calm him down and make him feel better…

"Man, you'd think for a town with a huge research center, there'd be a larger market, right, Dagger?" Vivi looked up as Slai bartered with a merchant. Although he didn't speak, he was a good listener, and could tell immediately that the person speaking was a visitor to Dali. He didn't sound like anyone he had heard before…

The little Black Mage's eyes widened at the three, and he fidgeted quite nervously when he heard the girl speak up. "Zidane, please. If it's not to your liking, you can wait at the inn while we find Vivi."

Zidane nudged her side and whispered harshly in her ear. "No no no that's not how you talk, Dagger! Loose! Come on…!"

"Slai…" Vivi squeaked, grasping the little girl's dress and tugging lightly. How did she know his name? Why did that boy have a tail like the one in his dream! "Slai…"

Slai blinked and looked down at Vivi, away from the vegetables they were collecting for the day. "Vivi? Oh Vivi, you're speaking outside of our rooms, I'm so proud of you."

"Not so loud…!" Vivi whirled around and made sure that the newcomers hadn't noticed him. He then turned back and tugged on Slai until she politely interrupted herself from the merchant and followed the Black Mage. When the two were hidden well in an alleyway, Vivi clutched close to Slai and trembled. "That person… that newcomer, he had a tail like the one in my dream…"

"The one that tried to hurt you?" Slai asked, suddenly worried. She poked her head out of the alleyway to get a better look at the man with the tail, and then she looked back at her friend. "Is it that person out there?"

Vivi was trembling and squirming in horror, as if he wasn't sure why Slai was even asking this question. "I've never seen another person with a tail before, and he appeared the day after my nightmare! Who else could it be?"

Slai frowned and paced back and forth repeatedly. "They're going to meet Papa at the research facility, right? I…"

"Yeah," Vivi said, nodding furiously. "There must be something going on. I'm worried for your father, Slai. I…" Vivi stopped and studied his friend's face. It had gone pale, and it appeared that she was staring right through him. "S…Slai…? What's wrong…?"

The tiny girl lifted a quivering finger and pointed at something behind Vivi. "Th…tha…that…"

Garnet and her entourage went on full alert when there was a scream in the town's alleyways. Zidane whipped up his daggers and Steiner stood between the sound and Garnet protectively. "Yo, I'll go check it out!" Zidane said, scouting ahead quickly due to his speed.

"Be careful, Zidane!" Garnet warned. Zidane practically melted at her concern, although she needn't worry; he was just too awesome to go down now.

Zidane tore into one of the alleyways where he was certain he heard the screams, and he saw two children trembling before what looked like a heavily armored giant brown insect, which was able to burrow about without being seen. No wonder it was able to get close to the city without being noticed! These Light Monsters were getting creepier and sneakier by the second!

"No! Go away!" the little boy said. Zidane recognized the boy as a Black Mage as he moved to get them away from the monster. The little child cast his magic and sent an ice barrage at the Ankheg. "Fire!" The creature gave a screech and the girl behind the Black Mage screamed in fear. However, the spell was little better than a cantrip; No. 776, Zidane mused lightly, had an immensely huge power compared to this small fry.

But wait, wasn't there something special about Black Mages in Dali? Someone that Bud wanted to meet? Zidane gave a shout when the Ankheg snapped its mandibles and charged the children with its six limbs clattering on the cobblestones. The two gave a scream and braced for an impact…

…that came from a different angle. Zidane grasped the two by their collars and leapt away from the danger, dragging the children along with him. He dropped them and moved between them protectively. "Vivi!" the betailed man snapped forcefully.

"Ahhh!" the Black Mage cried, cringing.

"What do you want, Monkey Man?" the little girl asked, unsure whether to trust the man that Vivi had been worried about.

"Get out of here and find Steiner and Dagger. They'll protect you. Vivi, you have to live!" Zidane dodged an attack by the monster and rolled about, attracting its attention away from the children. He was able to steal a glance at the two, and pointed in the direction of the city where he was sure Steiner was. "Didn't you hear me? I told you to GO!"

Vivi flinched from Zidane's forceful shout, but then grasped his companion's wrist instinctively and ran away as fast as he could.

Slai had a little trouble keeping by his side at first, but she soon fell into step with him. She moved next to him and whispered into his ear, "Vivi, can we trust him? He may be leading us to his friends who will hurt you."

Vivi nodded. "I… I know, but something tells me…"

_You can trust him, Little Brother. You can trust him with your life._

Vivi turned his bright, spherical eyes on Slai. "Something… someone tells me he's telling the truth."

Slai wasn't sure what Vivi was talking about, but she did know that he was better at taking care of himself than he usually showed. He didn't talk much, but he could sling spells that she just couldn't. Right now, she needed to trust him, so she did.

The two rushed out of the alleyway towards the giant crowd that was beginning to form around the alley and the two newcomers to the town. The woman walked out from behind the giant man, and she looked at the two of them. "Are you Vivi?" she asked, her voice filled with such sweetness that it was hard for the children not to trust her immediately. The two lost their tongues and could only nod silently. "Vivi, you can trust us with your safety. My name is Dagger, and I'm one of the Dark Warriors."

Vivi stared at her, his eyes shining brilliantly. "Dark Warriors. Like my brother?"

The mention of Vivi's favorite friend made Dagger look very guarded, and she looked away. "Y… yes, very much like your brother. Although now the Light is after you, Vivi. You're in terrible danger. Steiner, my guardian and fellow Dark Warrior, will take care of you, and we can explain everything."

The people then heard Zidane's voice shouting from the alleyway. "Later! Later!" The monkey man was running into the square and waving his arms frantically. "Everyone, get yourselves out of here! The monster went underground! It's under us right now!"

Chaos ensued as everyone shot every which way, their screams penetrating the air. Dagger was attempting to herd the mob in a safe and orderly way, and Steiner was flailing mightily as he approached the thief. "Zidane, what have you done?"

"I can't tell the stupid thing to stop burrowing!" the one called Zidane answered, looking around. "We just have to be careful, and watch out for…" He was interrupted when the ground beneath him opened up, and the squinty eyed man dropped down, barely grasping the edge of the hole in a poor attempt to keep him up. "It's… it's got my leg…! Steiner, help!"

Slai and Vivi shivered in a corner while Steiner moved to help the thief up. Realizing that wouldn't do much against such a large creature, he instead lifted his sword and brought it down past the thief. He heard a screech from within the hole, and the Ankheg burst from the hole, sending Steiner flying backwards. The large insect came out of the hole with a useless eye, snapping up Zidane in its mandibles. "You little…! You want some of this?" Zidane was trying to keep the giant insect's mandibles from slicing him to ribbons, but he really wasn't expecting the insect to open its mouth and spew an acidic ichor all over him. He sputtered and slipped from the creature's grip, falling a foot before crashing to the ground in front of the monster.

Dagger whirled around with a cry and moved to help Zidane, but Steiner reacted quicker. He turned and hooked his plate covered arm around her waist, hefting her up as easily as a bag of grain and tossing her over his shoulder, rushing away from more of the acidic spit that Ankheg spewed from its mouth. After rolling away and making sure Garnet was okay, Steiner placed her back on the floor and moved to act. "Master Vivi, a little assistance would be appreciated!" the captain shouted.

"M…me…?" the child squeaked, looking up when his name was called so formally, "But I can't do anything. It's my… my brother…"

Vivi suddenly looked up when a presence flooded his entire being. _I'm here. You have to do it, No. 777. I'm here._

The Black Mage shuddered lightly on his own accord. _No. 776? Is that really you…?_

_You can do it. I'm with you, and the Wind Crystal stands at your side. My little brother, you're the Dark Warrior. You can do it, so do it now!_

Vivi grasped his staff and wrung it tightly, unsure of what to do. He really wondered if the voice was his brother… where WAS No. 776…? "Its weakness is Ice!" He heard Dagger call out as she retracted the Scan spell and causing the tiny orb by her hand to disappear. "Vivi, we need you. Please!"

"Vivi…!" Slai screamed, grasping his long sleeves, "Don't get hurt!"

The Black Mage trembled for the last time, and something snapped within him, as if his entire body flowed with an untapped power he never knew he had. He looked up and called out to the giant man before him. "Steiner!" The knight turned when he heard the Black Mage shout, and the icicles flew from his staff. It was a much more powerful spell than the last one; it looked like something that No. 776 could concoct. "Blizzara!" He shouted as the ice flew past the knight and froze the creature in place for a moment

Steiner gave Vivi a tiny nod in the little Black Mage's direction, and swerved to face the Ankheg. "Princess!"

"I told you not to call me that!" the woman chastised.

"Get Zidane before that acid eats his body. I'll lead it away from the both of you." As if on cue, the creature broke from its icy prison and crawled out of its hole, snapping at the knight in anger. Steiner led the creature away from Zidane as the Ankheg moved to face him. Meanwhile, Dagger rushed around the monster's blind side and dropped next to Zidane.

"Are you okay?" she asked, even though it was painfully obvious he wasn't.

"My whole body is on fire…" he managed to sputter, even though much of his lips had burned away. "D…Dagger…"

"Panacea!" Since the acid wasn't technically a poison, very little was done to help the pain, and Zidane continued to writhe, his normally vibrant tail showed how much pain he was really in as it thrashed wildly. Garnet shivered at her inability to heal his pain. Why couldn't she have learned Esuna before she ran away from home? It would have helped so much, and she would have been more useful. Regardless, there was something she COULD do. "Sit still. Cure!" After the soothing magic washed over his body, Zidane rolled on the ground as if he really were on fire, in an attempt to remove as much of the acidic crap all over his body. He flailed for a moment and then dropped, unmoving, to the ground. Garnet dropped to her knees next to him with a cry. "Zidane, Zidane, are you okay? Speak to me, please…"

His small hand lifted up, and she saw him give her a thumbs up. "Just… a scratch…" He dropped the hand to the floor and crushed himself further into the ground as if he were trying to bask on the warm floor. "Go check on… Rusty and Vivi…" and there he took a nap.

Garnet tried to find a place to pat him, but found that most of his skin was still coated in a small film of the ichor; he still must be in pain, and he was trying so hard not to worry her… Yet he was right, the Dark Warriors needed her more than he did at the moment, and she stood up. "Right, Zidane, I'll get a better White Mage than I to heal you fully when we finish this battle. You did well."

The same hand feebly lifted in a wave of gratitude before dropping soundlessly back to the floor. It was then that Garnet turned around and went to speak with her warriors, and she had to duck to avoid an icicle to the face. Vivi was at the princess's side, and it seemed that Slai was able to find a time to escape with the other villagers. "A…are you okay, Princess Garnet?"

Garnet was taken aback. "I didn't call myself that. Why do you think I'm the princess?"

Vivi dug his shoe in the ground, looking very sorry for speaking something that Garnet deemed "Wrong". "Mister Steiner called you 'Princess'…"

Oh, that would explain it. She'd have to give her guardian a talk after this. She dropped down so she could inspect the child deeper. He had been fighting with Steiner, and Vivi hadn't practiced as well as her knight. "Are you okay, Vivi?"

The boy didn't know what to say. Princess Garnet herself was asking if he was okay! He shied away when she reached out to check on him, and he looked away. "I…I'm fine."

Garnet smiled at the child and stood up. "I'm glad. Come on, we need to help Steiner."

"That would be a helpful thing, thank you!" Steiner called from across the way as he struggled against the Ankheg's mandibles with his broadsword. The monster drew away and flipped around, its spineless insect body suitable for twirling around its body and using it like a club to bludgeon the knight and send him flying. He crumpled to the floor like a doll, and Garnet held her hands in front of her mouth in horror.

"Steiner…!" the woman screamed, terrified for her knight's life.

"Princess…" Steiner groaned, raising his gauntleted hand weakly, "Please… run…" It then dropped to the floor and he remained unmoving. The Ankheg stared at the unmoving knight as Garnet shivered, and then it turned to the remaining Dark Warriors.

"D…don't worry, Vivi," Garnet said, even though her voice cracked and her knees shivered. She took a step so she stood between the monster and Vivi. "I can call upon the guardians of the Dark Crystals to protect us."

"Like hell you will…" Garnet gasped when she saw the thief approach, still covered in the sticky crap. It was amazing to see that he was still standing, and Garnet moved to keep him upright as he stood between the monster and the warriors in an effort to protect them. "You haven't rested enough from summoning that Shiva chick last time. You're… not going to hurt yourself; Steiner and Vivi need you."

Garnet opened her mouth, her face obviously worried. "But Zidane… you're not fit to fight. You might…"

Zidane interrupted her with a shout. "Get down!" The three leapt away from the Ankheg's assault, and Vivi sent another large icicle at the creature. Even Blizzara's spikes weren't killing it, but it was slowing it down. Zidane looked around for something to take care of it with; the monster's chitin was too strong to whittle away at its health, and he didn't want to be spat on again. He looked around, and his eyes fell on one of the icicles left by Vivi's spell. A light bulb appeared over his head. "Imma take care of this. You guys stay back."

"Zidane, please…" Garnet pleaded.

Zidane ignored the princess, sheathed his daggers, and rushed the monster. The insect hacked angrily and lobbed a tinier acid blob which the squinty eyed man leaped over. He grasped one of the giant icicles left by Vivi's spell and continued charging. The Ankheg screamed and opened its mandibles wide, ready to voraciously bite the thief in two. Zidane lifted the makeshift lance like a javelin and thrust it with all of his might. The icicle, despite not being the sharpest item, was able to ram into the creature's maw, imbedding itself in the creature's central nervous system. The Ankheg writhed in pain, thrashing wildly about, and Zidane had to jump away to keep from being rammed into like Steiner had.

Finally, with a pitiful cry, the creature dropped to the ground, curling up sharply, its multiple limbs twitching as rigor mortis immediately set in. The three fighters stared at the scene, wondering if it was over, and then Garnet looked up at Zidane. His legs looked like they were about to give out, and he turned to the princess, flashing her a smile with his waxy, damaged lips. "Hah, you gotta have more faith in me, Dagger… I'm stronger than… I… look…"

He closed his eyes, dropped to his knees, and crumpled to the floor. Vivi quaked visibly as Garnet rushed forward, abandoning her staff so she could grasp his shoulders and shake him. "Zidane…? Zidane? Zidane!"

* * *

Ankhegs are freaking awesome, and while they are D&D monsters, they were stolen by Square in FF1 so I am in the clear aww yiss. Anyway, you can google Ankhegs, they're p. cool. But then again, that may be because I love insects a lot, hohoho.

So Vivi's here! I'm taking bets for who will be the final Dark Warrior.


	5. Chapter 5

Love you all for reading. It's late so I don't have much to say.

READ ON!

* * *

Vivi waddled up to Garnet as she tittered and choked back sobs. She stood up and ran to Steiner's side and checked his vitals, and she sighed with relief. "I think they're still alive." She looked around, and she turned back to Vivi. "I don't know what I can do though; my White Magic isn't enough to heal all of this…"

Vivi stared at Garnet, and suddenly he knew what to do. He whirled around and for the first time since he arrived in Dali, he called out loudly. "Slai! Slai, please come here! Slai!" Many of the Dalians looked out of their homes and hiding locations, wondering if the battle was really over, when they heard the child's voice.

Vivi continued to shout the name of his friend over and over, his voice becoming hoarser and more worried with each passing moment, until his best friend snuck out of an alleyway and approached. "Vivi, Vivi, are you okay…?"

Vivi didn't seem to care about himself as he rushed to her side with a cry. "Slai, Slai, you have to listen to me! Slai, they're hurt, they're hurt! Go tell your father that we need some White Mages!"

Slai stared at the change that had gone over her friend. "But they're just researchers," she insisted, "they don't know about the greatest White Magics…"

"It doesn't matter! Please Slai, Please…!" Slai stared at Vivi, his sadness evident in the soulful orbs. "These are the Dark Warriors. They are going to save the world; we HAVE to save them, Slai, we HAVE to."

Slai had never seen Vivi so determined to do anything before, it was… it was a little scary. However, this was what she and her father wanted to see from him. He was actually talking and caring about others' wellbeing. It made Slai happy to know that little Vivi actually cared about something; it made her glad to see he wanted to do something for them. Vivi actually looked more like a person, rather than a creature who was Fate's little puppet, gliding through life. She had never seen him this way, and she was glad for the change. She nodded lightly and rushed off towards the research center. "I'll be right back, Vivi!"

"Thank you, Slai. Thank you!" Vivi watched as she ran away towards the largest building in the area, and then he turned to Garnet, who was using all of her magic to stop what the black mage assumed were internal damages. She was sweating and fidgeting heavily, completely out of energy; she must have really been worried about her friends. They were the Dark Warriors, after all, and how could they defeat the light if they lost one of their own? It was necessary for each Crystal to be represented. If not, then…

…Well, Vivi wasn't sure what would happen if there weren't four people, but he assumed it would be harder to save the world with only three than with all of them. Garnet's friends had to live, they just had to…!

There was a crowd that was forming around the fallen warriors, and suddenly a woman that Vivi recognized as the pharmacist's wife pushed through the Dalians and lifted up a few bottles. "Can these potions help until the White Mages arrive?"

Vivi wasn't sure if he should approach her, so he turned to Garnet; she was the leader, after all. She seemed too preoccupied to respond, however, so Vivi sucked up a deep breath and went to thank the woman. He stared at her, squeaked, and took the potions wordlessly. It was still hard to talk to them, even though he had been so vocal around Slai and the Dark Warriors just a moment before. He really wasn't sure why; he wished No. 776 could tell him what to do…

"P-princess Garnet…" the Black Mage squeaked. Garnet looked slowly up at him. He gulped and offered her a few of the bottles. "Here are some potions from Mrs. Fellstern. Here, you can give these to Zidane, and I can help Mister Knight."

Garnet looked at the bottles that were placed in her hand and nodded. "Right then, that sounds… that sounds good." There wasn't much else to be said; Vivi watched her choking back hyperventilating breaths, and she clutched the bottles to her chest, running to the thief's side. Vivi didn't have any time to watch her, however; he had to take care of the Steiner person. Vivi wasn't sure what to make of the group. Sure, they had saved him and fought the monster and protected Dali, but he still was afraid of his dream. Was No. 776 right? Were they really friends he could trust? Or was that really No. 776's voice? Could it be a trick…? Regardless, these people did save the Dalians, so he decided it would be best to at least help them. It was the least he could do…

Garnet, meanwhile, was at Zidane's side. He wasn't moving, and that scared her. Oh, how she wished she was prepared for the Dark Warrior business! The stories made this adventuring stuff look so easy… She dropped to the floor next to him and nudged him. "Zidane, wake up, you need to take this potion." She uncorked the item and tried to push him onto his back. "Zidane, please…!"

There was a groan from the man, and he struggled to help her move him. Soon he was on his back, his tail curled up to his side, where it lay unmoving. "Hey, Dagger. You sure you aren't an angel? I wouldn't mind dying if I could be with you the rest of eternity."

Garnet would have reprimanded him for his audacity, but she was too happy to hear that he was actually speaking. "Please, just drink this, Zidane, there you go. How do you feel?"

Zidane made a face with closed eyes as the potions slid down his throat. "Freaking Crystals, I have to be alive; no way could heaven have stuff that tastes this horrible." Garnet smiled, happy to hear that he was well enough to make jokes. "My whole body tingles with something. This better be pain because this isn't even close to what I should be tingling with."

"The acid's not all gone," Garnet explained, missing Zidane's innuendo, "You'll need to wash all of this gunk off. I hope the White Magic can heal all of this…"

"Wash? Who takes baths, anyway?" Zidane groaned.

Garnet frowned. "People who don't like acid covering their body."

"It's not so bad once you get used to it," the monkey man said matter-of-factly.

Garnet snorted through her nostrils, but she wasn't able to reply. The two were interrupted when they heard a scream from a little ways away. "PRINCESS! Princess, are you okay!"

Garnet winced and Zidane bit his lip to keep from laughing too loud (the movement sent jolts of pain through his body), and soon Vivi approached, poking his fingers together lightly. "Uhm… I think Mister Knight wants to talk to you, Princess Garnet…"

"What was your first clue?" Zidane asked the Black Mage as he flipped his arm up and used it to cover his eyes from the sun. Vivi blinked at Zidane, apparently wondering if he should answer that… "With him yelling, I'll never get any sleep at this rate…"

"Steiner, it's okay," Garnet called out with a smile to the knight, "I'm here. I'm okay." There was silence for a while. She took a deep breath, and released it in utter relief. She repeated herself, as if she weren't sure that what she said was entirely true, "We're… we're all okay. We're all okay…!" She took another deep breath, and Vivi watched as she hid her face in her hands so that no one could see her tears of relief.

* * *

The White Mages came sooner than Vivi had thought. Perhaps Slai was faster when she didn't have to drag a useless Black Mage behind her? The mostly female brigade suddenly came out of nowhere, pushing through the crowds, and they worked in unison to drag the men back to the research center, where they could properly be used as guinea pigs for their experimental magic.

…Uhm, except that they were really just being healed with totally safe magic of the Devil Sun that was completely and wholly tested to not be harmful to humans at all, of course.

Vivi sat next to Slai, with Princess Garnet across from them. They were in a different room as the others were treated, and he shivered with anxiety as he thought of what to say to her. The room was silent for a long while, and Slai (of course) was the one to break it. "So… you three are Dark Warriors?"

Garnet seemed to be in thought, because she snapped out of a light stupor to answer the girl. "Hmm? Oh, Zidane's not a Dark Warrior. He's just… helping us." she said, smiling at the children.

Vivi shivered when Slai spoke up again. "Vivi had a dream before Mister Zidane came. It was about a man with a tail. He tried to kill Vivi." Vivi tried to stop his friend from speaking up for him, but she would have none of it. Vivi was her friend and she would protect him as long as she could! "Are you SURE Mister Zidane's a good person?"

Garnet opened her mouth to assuage the girl's fears, but then she remembered…

"_I… I'm sorry, Zidane…" the Black Mage said softly, "I was… absolutely… useless…"_

"_No! No no no no NO." The monkey man shouted, shaking the Black Mage who was practically a statue by that point. "You're not! You're not useless! It was me! I…! I've never really traveled with anyone and I was only thinking about myself! And now… now you're…!"_

_The Black Mage was now monochromatic. He stared off into space as he spoke… "Zidane, I…"_

Garnet shook her head of the memory, and she smiled at the two. "He can be a little rude sometimes, but his heart is in the right place. I'm not sure where Zidane comes from, but perhaps there's another town where is people come from? You might have had a dream about one of his people."

That seemed to calm Slai down, and the little girl turned to Vivi. They stared at each other for a while, and Garnet wondered if the two shared an unspoken language, as they seemed to be able to understand each other immediately. Slai then smiled and turned back to Garnet. "Alright! That's fine. So where are the other Dark Warriors?"

Vivi looked up from his cup when Slai finished her sentence. "My…" Everyone stopped when they heard Vivi speak. He gulped and looked up at Garnet. Slai had never heard him speak to anyone but herself. What was special about Princess Garnet, anyway? "My brother… No. 776. He's a Dark Warrior. The Crystal told him that before I came here to Dali. Did you see him? How is he? Is he okay?" He didn't want to mention that he was hearing his brother in his mind. It was just weird. NORMAL people didn't hear people in their minds. Not even normal Black Mages heard things like that. Why was he different? Where was his brother? Why was everything so hard to understand? Everything was so different since he had that dream. Something was wrong, something was…

Garnet was fidgeting. She closed her eyes and bit her lip, trying to find out what to say to the child. "Vivi… No. 777… there's something you have to know."

Slai held his gloved hand tightly as the two listened to what the princess said.

* * *

"You know…" Zidane said as he settled into the bed, covered practically from head to toe in potion soaked bandages, "the shower wouldn't have been so bad if the people scrubbing me down weren't dudes. That was a little awkward. Good thing you didn't have to go through that, right Rusty?"

The man didn't answer. He was lying in a bed similar to Zidane's, against the wall perpendicular to the monkey man's. Zidane could see him a little ways away, covered in bandages that that were just from the outer wounds. Zidane heard that the worst of the wounds he sustained weren't visible, however; most of them were internal. Zidane wondered if he wasn't moving because it hurt too much to move, or if it was something else. "Hey, Steiner."

That got his attention. He rumbled just a little ways away. "I don't respond to name calling monkeys," he hissed. Zidane shrugged as if to say "Suit yourself" (and then let out a small hiss himself at the pain), and lay back on his bed. There was silence for a moment, and suddenly the knight spoke up lowly in a surprised tone. "You… you called me…?"

"You're not wearing that rusty armor, so the name doesn't apply, right?" Zidane said with a smile on his now mostly healed lips. Steiner blinked and turned lightly to Zidane, wondering just how much of that was the truth. "You… did good out there, Steiner. Protecting Dagger and all. Although you could scream 'Princess!' a little less often. She's under cover, you know."

"You wouldn't understand," Steiner insisted, getting hot with anger, "It's impossible to hide her royal blood under something as flimsy as a fake name."

Well, so much for trying to be nice to him… Zidane truly wondered if Steiner could get through a day without getting into a fight with someone. He really shouldn't continue the conversation, but he had never backed down from an argument yet, and he sure wasn't going to start now. "Look, you're wrong. Dagger's trying real hard to do this right, so she doesn't put anyone in danger," the monkey man said, shifting in the bed so he could sit up more and glare appropriately at the knight, "You're the one who doesn't understand. Can't you see that if someone targeted her, you and I would be in danger?"

"I need not worry about the safety of myself or of thieves!" Steiner growled, "As long as I can protect the princess, nothing else is important. My safety is nothing compared to the princess's!"

Something inside the young man snapped. Even Zidane had breaking points, and he had reached his when he thought about the way Garnet cried back in Dali Square. How could this guy be so blind to her feelings! "Dammit Rusty, would you think about yourself for once? You're a Dark Warrior! Can you even imagine what Dagger would feel if she as your leader saw you die because of her? Why the heck would you put that much pressure on her!"

"I KNEW you didn't mean that, calling me Steiner! Trying to butter me up like I was a child! I won't be caught by your lies, you filthy son of a whore!"

So Steiner really DID know how to curse; Zidane assumed he kept his mouth shut in front of Garnet. Zidane probably would have seen him a little more respectfully if the man weren't so infuriating! He opened his mouth for another rebuttal, hoping beyond hope to jam something into his thick skull, but he was interrupted when the White Mages who had left them to rest suddenly came barging in.

Zidane groaned when they immediately moved to calm them down. "Why were you yelling? I told you not to move," one of the younger (male) novices groaned. Zidane fidgeted away from him like a child when he moved to check his vitals. The monkey man wanted to be babied by the sexy lady who was tending Steiner!

"What the crap, I'm fine!" Zidane howled.

"Please sir, your wounds will reopen!"

"My wounds were all acidic! There's nothing to open! Get away from me, you psycho!"

There was a sudden scream that made everyone look up. The White Mage tending Zidane looked up, and the betailed man took the time he was looking away to throw the covers off and hop past him. The man cried out, and Zidane promptly ignored him. He grasped his shirt and vest from a coat hanger and rushed from the room. He knew what that sound was; it sounded a lot like Vivi, and he could tell what was going on already. He ran faster when he heard Vivi's initial wail quiet into a small sob.

* * *

Garnet looked up when Zidane slammed the door open in his haste. He was gasping for air, and the princess stood up immediately, surprised at his frazzled appearance. "Zidane, what are you doing? Is everything okay…?"

"Vivi…" Zidane gasped. Garnet opened her mouth, and she dropped her head sadly as Slai held her friend. Vivi was crying across the room where he sat, and Zidane stared, wondering if he should really tell him what was on his mind or lie through his teeth. It would be easier to just sugarcoat the story that the Wind Crystal told them, but… but lying, especially to kids, just wasn't his style.

"Hey, No 777." The Black Mage snuffled lightly, and Zidane brushed past Garnet to approach him. Slai clutched Vivi instinctively, still not sure what to make of the betailed man, and Zidane dropped to his knee so he could look under the hat at the child's nonexistent face. "Hear me out, 777, please. What happened to No. 776… it was my fault."

Vivi stared at Zidane with his bright orbs. He used his name… he used his *real* name… "What…?"

"I…" Zidane dropped his head, mentally berating himself over and over again. "I didn't buy any medicine when I went on this journey. I was in charge of the provisions, being Dagger's servant and all." He looked back up and strained a smile at the child; it wasn't really a lie if the main part of the story remained the same, right…? "And I didn't buy any softs. Can you believe it? No. 776 protected me from the Medusa's attacks and he was the one who was turned to stone… It's my fault, No. 777. I'm sorry."

"But it's okay, Zidane," Garnet suddenly said, approaching the others. The three looked up at her, and she smiled. "The Crystal of Wind said that if we can restore the power to the four Dark Crystals and save this world, they'll probably have enough power to restore No. 776 to his original self. That's the biggest reason you're here, right?"

Vivi stared at Garnet, and he jumped when Zidane suddenly barked a quick laugh. "Yeah, I guess that is the biggest reason I'm coming along. Leave it to you to cheer me up, Dagger." He stayed in his kneel and turned to Vivi, whose lamp eyes stared back in worry. The tailed man felt his heart break a little at the child's sadness, and the young man tried to smile, but it didn't help much with his sad expression. "Can you forgive me enough to fight alongside the Dark Warriors and save all of Gaia?"

Silence permeated through the room. Vivi wasn't sure what to say… What should he do…? He turned instinctively to Slai, unsure. Whenever he didn't know what to do, he always turned to someone else. Originally, it had been No. 776 whom he spoke with, but when he came to live in Dali, it was always Slai he turned to, because she had been put in charge of him from the beginning. But this time, instead of answering him, she shook her head. "No, Vivi. This is your decision. I can't tell you what to do."

Vivi wondered if that was why 776 wasn't talking to him. This was… this wasn't his decision; it was Vivi's. And truthfully, at first he wanted to say "no". He didn't believe he was any good for something as important and delicate as this. The entire world was at stake, and he was just a normal, demure Black Mage… He couldn't do anything important like his brother…

But when Slai looked at him and spoke to him, he suddenly realized something very important. He was being selfish. No 776 would have done anything he could to save the world, and he was sure Slai would do whatever she could to help too. Vivi… he just sat in a corner and told himself he was useless, even when others told him otherwise.

He couldn't just say "no" now, not when someone actually depended on him. For once, he wished he wasn't so different, so that people wouldn't look at him like he wasn't capable of conscious thought. Zidane… looked at him like he would a friend. He didn't know what to say… Perhaps… perhaps this was what he needed… Not to mention, if he stayed in Dali, everyone would be in danger, and he wasn't sure he could defeat the monsters that would come for him. At least, not alone.

And besides, No. 776 always took care of him before he went to Dali. It was up to him to return the favor! Everyone, everyone was counting on him, so Vivi hunched his shoulders up, took a deep breath, and nodded very slowly. "O-okay, I'll come."

"Freaking AWESOME!" Zidane shouted, leaping into the air. Vivi jumped a bit in fear at the sudden movement, and Zidane smiled brightly, grasping the child's arms and dragging him into an impromptu dance. "Thanks so much, Vivi. You won't regret it!"

"Zidane…" Garnet murmured. She had seen how pained Zidane looked about No. 776, but seeing him so happy about Vivi's decision made her realize that part of it was because he wanted things to go well for her. He was the Leader of the Dark Warriors for just a moment, so he knew how hard it was; he wanted to help her in every way he could.

As Zidane celebrated with a thoroughly confused Vivi, Garnet dropped her head and played with her thumbs. She understood Zidane's desire to help her; she just wished he would treat her like an adult. Talking with Vivi and convincing him to join… that was her job. She wasn't a child, she could do it on her own… Why didn't Zidane see that…?

"Dagger?" The princess gave a surprised gasp and was snapped from her thoughts when Zidane peered closely at her face. "What's wrong? You looked sad."

Garnet stared at him with wide eyes. How did he get there so fast! "Z…Zidane…?"

"Now your face is all red!" The monkey man reached out to tenderly touch her forehead with his hand. "Do you have a fever…?"

"I… do not!" Garnet insisted, pulling away before he could touch her, her flush becoming even more prominent. "How rude, touching people like that."

Zidane chuckled lightly, totally not taking anything she said truly seriously. "Sorry, Dagger, I didn't mean to make you upset, I was just worried. You haven't rested like Rusty or I after the battle with that bug thing. You sure you don't need to nap for a while?"

Garnet murmured something that sounded like an agreement, but then she twiddled her thumbs again. "I'm just worried about where we'll be going next. The Crystal of Fire is all the way across the ocean, and we have no idea where the Crystal of Earth is…"

"I beg your pardon, Your Majesty…" The voice that came from the doorway made everyone look up. In the doorway was a man dressed in a scientist's lab outfit. He adjusted his glasses when he looked about the room, and his eyes fell on Slai. She gave a squeal and hopped up from her chair, rushing into the scientist's arms and hugging him tightly.

"Hello Papa!" she called out happily. Vivi found himself sidling up next to them, still not completely comfortable around the Dark Warriors.

Garnet and Zidane looked up at Slai's father as he lifted his daughter up and snuggled her close. "It's nice to see you, Slai. You did a good job taking care of Vivi so dutifully." The girl giggled and hugged her father's neck happily.

"Is there something I can help you with, Sir?" Garnet murmured, staring at him with a slightly confused expression. What did he want, calling her during their conversation? He was a scientist, so perhaps he knew something about Vivi that they needed to know?

"I heard you were talking about the crystals," Slai's Father said, shifting his daughter so he carried her with one hand. He used his other hand to pat Vivi on the pointy hat. "You're looking for the Crystal of Earth?"

"Yes, I am," Garnet admitted, "Alexandria keeps tabs on the other three, but Mother and Father never were able to find out where the Crystal of Earth was located. It's like it doesn't exist on the face of Gaia."

"That's because it doesn't," Slai's Father said with a slightly smug smile. Garnet blinked and cocked her head to the side when the scientist gestured with his free hand. "The Crystal of Earth isn't on the face of Gaia because it's under it!"

Slai's Father waited for the gasps all around. He felt slightly awkward standing in a pose and waiting for something that wasn't going to happen. In fact, the only way the conversation continued was when Zidane spoke up. "So, are we going somewhere with this?"

"Oh," the researcher said, blushing lightly and continuing, "Well, when Dali's research building was under construction, we fell upon a tunnel into Gaia that was made long ago by the Dwarves. We struck up a bargain with them and built right on top of the tunnel to keep unnecessary tourists away. I bet you Dark Warriors could ask them where the Earth Crystal is, and they would be glad to help you."

Zidane smiled brightly and turned to Garnet, who genuinely smiled for the first time since the fight with the ankheg. Things were really… they were improving; they really were. The contagious smile was spreading to everyone in the room as Zidane announced: "We'll go immediately, then."

Garnet's smile waned, and she berated her friend, "I don't think so, Zidane. You and Steiner haven't recovered fully yet. We'll head there when we're all fully prepared, and not a moment sooner." She turned to Vivi and smiled. "Is that alright with you, Vivi?"

The Black Mage stared for a moment, as if unsure how to answer a princess. Finally, he nodded lightly. "S-sure."

"Then it's settled!" Zidane said, putting his hands on his hips, "We leave in the morning."

"IF you and Steiner feel better," Garnet reminded him quickly.

Zidane, as usual, shrugged off her fears. "We'll be fine; Rusty and I are made of stronger stuff than that. Tomorrow!" Garnet gave him a face that told him she wasn't buying it, and he winked at her. "Tomorrow. Night, Dagger."

Garnet debated ignoring his perverted leer, but she looked away and said instead, "We'll see. Nevertheless, goodnight, Zidane."

Slai, her father, and Vivi all looked at Zidane as he nonchalantly wandered from the room (and they soon heard shouts of anger as a certain male White Mage caught up with him). They all turned and looked at Garnet, and she smiled at them. "I suppose… I should find a room to sleep in…?"

Slai's Father placed his daughter on the floor, bowed to the princess, and showed Garnet the way to the guest rooms.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

Or something. Honestly I hate how I end things, but I fixed it up enough to not suck too much I guess. So yeah.


	6. Chapter 6

Alright! Finally, I'm getting down to business again! Here it is, we're heading to the Crystal of Earth! But will it be that easy to get to it, I wonder...?

Regardless:

READ ON!

* * *

Darkness permeated through the room. The light was so bright that it took Garnet a long while to get to sleep, and she tossed and turned in her bed. Finally, she was able to settle down just as the sun dipped low in the sky. She woke up with very little sleep, rubbing her eyes and groaning lightly. There was a lot more daylight nowadays than before, as if the sun were eating away the moon little by little, and it wasn't even close to the Daylight Solstice… There just… wasn't enough time to put in an entire night's work anymore…

Garnet shuddered lightly at the thought of having to work during the day. There just… it was unnatural. She felt that walking about during the daytime would unnecessarily harm the others, as the Light Monsters would probably be out in full force. She would have to talk to the rest of the group and ask them what they thought. She made a game of assuming what each person would say as she dressed.

"Zidane would say 'of course!'" she said to herself as she threaded her arms through her undershirt, "because of those squinty eyes. I bet it's much harder to see in the dark for him. Steiner wouldn't want to put me in any extra danger, something like 'You needn't go in the daylight, Princess', and Vivi would probably feel a lot more comfortable in the dark, so it looks like we'll lose some time… unless…"

Unless she agreed with Zidane and they came to a tie. Not that she would agree with Zidane; she knew that it was much safer to work at night. "But…" she whispered aloud, buckling her boots with a small breath, "but we need to continue quickly… as fast as we can. Maybe… even if it's dangerous, we should try to work in the daylight? I…" Garnet found it strange that she could assume everyone's decisions but her own. She supposed that it was because the answer was harder to arrive at than most others, and she as a princess had to weigh every pro and con. She'd have to explain all of those to the others before they decided, maybe Vivi or Steiner would change their decision.

If there was one thing Garnet learned, however, it was that Zidane would never change his mind. He was the only real constant in the craziness that was going on. Garnet opened the door and caught a gasp in her throat.

She should have known that the craziness wouldn't have stopped this evening. Steiner was standing stoically in front of her door, dressed in his full plate and looking relatively like he had never been hurt. "S-Steiner?" she managed to squeak out.

The knight turned to her and saluted sharply, his face screwing up in pain. "Good evening, Princess!" he said in a voice that said he was trying to mask his pain.

Garnet frowned at him. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be resting?"

"A knight never rests when his princess could be in danger!" Steiner replied matter-of-factly.

Garnet tried not to facepalm; she was learning far too quickly some of Zidane's unrefined gestures. "I'm not in danger, Steiner. You're probably more hurt than I."

"That is true," Steiner relented, "But just this day I looked up and I saw that monkey man had left his bed! Naturally, the last thing I wanted was that squinty eyed monster prowling around at all hours of the day, and then I thought of you!" Garnet stared, disbelieving, at the knight as he continued his train of thought. "If that man were to try anything to you…! I immediately rushed from the room and guarded this very spot all day long!"

Garnet sighed lightly as Steiner obliviously patted himself mentally on the back. The princess couldn't believe it. Zidane had beaten her out on the bet.

Garnet gasped. The bet! She frowned deeply and tromped down the hallway to the mess hall with a very unladylike gait. Steiner made sure to tell her so as he jogged after her, hissing in pain.

The mess hall was filled with researchers, and in a corner to the left of the door that Garnet entered were four people. Vivi and Slai sat next to each other while Zidane tried to shove his overtly worried White Mage attendant away. "Look, Man, I'm up and fine. Get your hand away from me before I rip it off."

"But…"

"No buts! Can't you see I'm…"

The men were interrupted by a decidedly female voice. "Zidane!"

The monkey man winced under the call; he could tell that she wasn't making a booty call or anything, so he looked up and smiled at her, pretending to be oblivious to her anger. "What's up, Dagger?"

The princess looked down at his place at the table, her hands on her hips. "Zidane, what's this I heard about you wandering around instead of resting?"

"I didn't need it," he replied, stretching all five limbs and smirking at her through obviously tired eyes, "the sunlight kept me up anyway."

"You kept Steiner up too," Garnet said dangerously.

"Did I?" Zidane said nonchalantly, scratching an itch on his rear as if he weren't sure how that pertained to him.

Steiner bust in and shook an accusing hand at Zidane. "This creature is always about during the day! It's unnatural!"

Garnet stole a glance to Vivi instinctively, and the Black Mage stared at Steiner with his eyes. He then looked away and stared at the princess. She looked at the knight and shook her head. "We only worked at night because it was the brightest before this happened, Steiner. There's nothing unnatural about it, so please, don't."

The knight nodded and looked away. "As you wish, Princess."

"So then," Zidane said, a smile on his face. "Tomorrow, like I said. We're up, so we're heading out, right?"

Garnet turned back to Zidane, her face looking similar to a chastising mother. "You only woke up last day so that Steiner would get up. He's still not well. Don't you dare think that just standing up is enough for me to consider you two ready for battle."

"Look, we have to get this done and over with as soon as possible, right?" Zidane asked. Garnet opened her mouth but her tongue slid down her throat. Zidane turned to the Black Mage. "Right, Vivi? The sooner we get the four crystals and beat the crap out of whoever caused this, the sooner you can save No. 776."

How low was he, playing with the child's feelings! Garnet's voice rose a little when she responded to such an underhanded trick. "Zidane, don't bring Vivi into this! Steiner can't go gallivanting underground when he's hurt!"

"…C-can't you heal him though…?" The other five stared at Vivi, who was suddenly speaking up on his own. "Can't you heal Mister Steiner…? Then… then we can go faster and save No. 776."

Garnet opened her mouth to tell him it wasn't that easy, but Vivi's face sunk lower at her face, and she could feel his sadness. She shot Zidane a glance that told him that he still wasn't off the hook, and turned back to the Black Mage. "Alright, Vivi, we'll go see the Dwarves as soon as we can. If that's okay with everyone?"

"Hell yes!" Zidane said pumping his fists into the air (and making his attendant cry out in horror).

Garnet was given a salute. "I shall follow you to the ends of Gaia, Prin-Ma'am," Steiner bit back his last word when Garnet gave him a look.

"You're leaving already?" Slai asked. She shifted around and picked up the scrolls at her side. She offered them to the princess with a smile. "Papa told me to give these to you. He said that you would need them on your journey. Be sure to train lots, Your Majesty!"

"Train lots…?" Garnet opened one of the scrolls, and her jaw dropped lightly. "C-Cura…?" She picked up another scroll, and she smiled brightly when she opened it. "Esuna! And here's Life! So many spells…!"

"They're what our best White Mages have researched, in hopes that you can use them to save our world." Slai giggled at Garnet's look, and she smiled. "At least, that's what Papa told me to tell you."

"Slai is the most dutiful daughter in the whole world," Vivi announced proudly with a smile in her direction, as if she were his daughter. Slai only blushed at his words.

"Fine then, all of you," Garnet said as she rolled up her scrolls and stowed them away in her pack. "Hurry up and get everything ready. We're heading underground ASAP."

* * *

"I can't see a freaking thing down here…" Zidane mumbled for the fifth time since they started wandering in this underworld.

"You would do well to stop whining, monkey boy," Steiner replied haughtily. Zidane frowned; the only way he was able to tell when they were turning in these tight, mazelike tunnels was from Steiner actually replying each time the young man spoke. It was so dark in these tunnels; how were the others able to even see?

"I'm serious, Rusty! I can't see a thing! It's dark as hell, how can you see anything?"

"I think it's because our eyes are larger than yours," Garnet said, turning around lightly so she could see him groping through the darkness and barely missing a stalactite to the face, "that means we can see better down here."

There was a low chuckle to the side, where Steiner was snorting. "Too bad you're more like a monkey than a cat, huh, Zidane?"

"Very funny," he grumbled. "Come on, someone help me out here! Man, I knew I should have grabbed a torch before heading down here. I just didn't think it'd be so dark!"

"What, did you actually think that there'd be lighting down in the dark recesses of Gaia? Come now." The smug sound of Steiner was the last thing Zidane wanted to hear. He fumbled about in the darkness, and suddenly he felt something woolen on his gloves.

"There, just grab my collar, Zidane. I'll lead you," Vivi said. Zidane was about to protest (hey, I don't get led around by anyone but hot chicks), but the brightness in the Black Mage's voice stopped him. Vivi felt truly happy that he was able to be useful, that he was able to help. Zidane sighed and relinquished control to the boy, hoping that this wouldn't last forever.

The walk lasted for a few hours. It really wasn't the most fun of walks, but Vivi was a good enough guide to keep him from running into anything, and eventually he came to something that made his heart sing.

It was light. Finally, after all this time, something he could use to see! It wasn't like he loved the light or anything, being a Gaian, but man, seeing was a good thing to do. It was so annoying not being able to look at something, at least when he wasn't sleeping.

The others seemed to have noticed the light as well. "It looks like we're here," Garnet said, "I suppose the Dwarves like a little bit of light. Are these glow worms?"

"That's so cool!" Vivi proclaimed in a voice that sounded like a small biologist to be, "They really are glowing! They're so huge, too!"

"Yeah, that is really nice," Zidane agreed, finally able to release Vivi's cloak and rub his hand on the nearest thing to wipe off the germs of another male, "So, who put these up here, anyway?"

"Lali-ho!" The group let out a sudden gasp when they were greeted by tiny men. Tiny men with beards and Viking hats and chain mail armor. So in other words, they were stereotypical Dwarves. "Lali-ho! How are you today, good friends?"

"Oh, we've arrived at Conde Piet already?" Garnet asked herself. She bowed low to the ground and straightened back up. "Lali-ho, good friends. My name is Dagger, the leader of those chosen to be the Dark Warriors of Gaia."

"Lali-ho to you, Lady Dagger! Come, come!" the leader of the Dwarven band said. Garnet nodded and followed after him, but the band stopped the other three from following. "You can't come to our abodes without saying the sacred greeting."

Zidane frowned. "What greeting? What did Dagger say, anyway?"

The Dwarves all leaped into the air with a cry. "Lali-ho!"

"L-lali-ho…?" Vivi asked more than said.

"Aye! Welcome to Conde Piet, little lad!"

Eventually, the group was able to say the silly sacred greeting, and the four were allowed inside Conde Piet. The place really was almost covered in the glow worms, which gave off an otherworldly light. It really made the place a little strange, but beautiful in its own way. The city was different than humans'. Humans built horizontally. Conde Piet was vertical. It was a perfect circle, drilled straight into the planet, and on the sides were houses that were hewn from the stone itself. Zidane had to watch where he was going, because he was never looking at where he was walking, only at the sights of the completely alien town.

The four were led to a large house, which was apparently where the king, Goitt, lived. Within the home were neither furs nor fires. There must not be any fur covered animals under the ground. However, the gems that covered the place sparkled in the glowing dimness of the worms that also coated the walls.

In the back room was a Dwarf whose beard was the largest in Conde Piet. Whether or not that was the reason Goitt was named king really didn't matter. He looked like he was covered in hair, like some sort of demented hairy monster. At his side, however, was a creature that looked like the Dwarves' antitheses. He was tall, hairless, and almost completely white. He was donned in a robe that Zidane could not for the life of him see how he could have woven himself, seeing as how there really wasn't anything in this place that could grow enough to weave. However, something seemed really different about him. Zidane tried to peer under his hood, but he was interrupted by a nudge from Garnet, signifying how rude he was being.

The princess then bowed to the ruler, similarly to the way she did the captain of the guard. "Good day, King Goitt. Thank you for having us on such short notice."

"The pleasure is all mine, Dark Warriors," the great king said. His voice boomed mightily, and his entire presence seemed to fill the house, much less the room. "I take it you are looking for the Crystal of Earth?"

"I was told by the overlanders that you have it. I do not wish to do anything that would disrupt the sacred nature of your crystal. We only need to meet with it and be on our way. You will hardly notice us here."

The creature coughed lightly, and Goitt nodded to him. "I would love to be able to offer anything I can to the saviors of the planet, but that just can't be done."

"WHAT." Zidane nearly exploded when he heard what he did. "What's going on here? You guys have the damn crystal! Just let us freaking touch it and get on with our lives!"

"It's not so easy as that," the creature by Goitt's side said, not even bothering to react to the monkey man's outburst. "The Crystal of Earth has been stolen from us."

Oh. Oh… OH. Zidane slunk back under Garnet's glare, red faced with embarrassment. "That's absolutely horrible," the princess said, "Isn't there anything we can do?"

"Aside from sneaking into the Dark Elves' encampments and taking it back? Not much," the creature said, "We would attempt to assist, but…"

"…BUT," Goitt said, reminding certain assistants who the real ruler was, "the Dark Elves didn't just take the crystal, they destroyed one of our largest cities. Conde Piet is simply a city where the refugees were able to hide out. The army of the Dark Elves destroyed ours. We have no force to fight back with, so to speak."

"So we're on our own…?" Vivi asked, suddenly looking very worried.

"Against an entire race of people who seemingly love Earth Crystals for god knows what reason," Zidane added.

The Black Mage clutched his stomach. "Now I don't feel so well…"

"Regardless, we must do something, Ma'am," Steiner said, turning to Garnet. She nodded in return.

"Steiner's right, we need to head out and regain the crystal from these Dark Elves." Garnet turned to the others, and her entourage nodded in unison. She then returned to the king and bowed one last time. "Your information has helped us immensely, Your Highness. Dark Warriors!" She twirled and snapped her heels. "We're off!"

King Goitt and his assistant watched as the four left the house. The creature at the king's side lifted his hands and pushed his hood back. The hairless, white face stared after the thudding of shoes with completely sightless eyes. "My lord…"

"What is it…?"

The creature spoke, his body remaining still but his lips moving, as if of their own accord. "I see it, clear as day. When the four receive the blessing, they will move to the Center of the Planet. Friends shall become Foes, and Foes will reveal themselves as Friends. The Darkness shall encounter the Light at the Center of the Planet, and the Fated Duel will be fierce as to Stop Time."

"Will they make it?" Goitt asked.

The Gulgan opened his mouth, his blind eyes glancing up at nothing. "The world of Gaia will be bathed in Light, and all shall Stop."

Goitt dropped back into his throne as if drained, and he reached up, hiding his grief in the palms of his hands.

To Be Continued...

Welp, here we are, under the ground and speaking with Dwarves and Gulgans. Who are the Gulgans? Those who played FFIII will know them as the blind prophets, who traded their eyesight for foresight.

Just what could this Gulgan's cryptic but totally cliche premonition mean? Dundundunnnn!


	7. Chapter 7

YES I am still writing this. Sorry for the wait. Christy fails~

READ ON!

* * *

"Man, these things are awesome," Zidane remarked as the Dark Warriors wandered through the dark tunnels, being led by one of the giant glow worms that gave off its fluorescent light. "Now I can finally see!" He tucked the worm on his shoulder and smirked at how awesome it was.

Vivi seemed extremely interested in the bug, and Garnet wished to learn more about them from the Dwarves, but Steiner wasn't excited at all. "Just… keep that thing on YOUR side of the tunnel, rat."

"Aww, is Rusty afraid of the big bad glowy bug?" Zidane asked, laughing aloud. He picked up the unmoving creature from his arm and thrust it towards the soldier. "Here! I think she likes you!"

Steiner tensed and went rigid at the close proximity of the bug. "G-get it away from me! It's a pestilence on all good darkness! The light it gives off is unnatural and unholy!"

"Aww, why don't you like her? I think I'll call her 'Oglop'," Zidane replied, bringing the creature back after Garnet glared at him for being rude. He placed the bug back on his shoulder and shrugged lightly so as not to upset his pet. "Well, I guess I'm done teasing Rusty for the day."

"You mean forever," Garnet corrected in a motherly tone. Zidane shrugged again and the princess sighed. The group walked further down the tunnel, dodging stalactite and stalagmite alike, in silence. Something was really off putting, however, and the princess jogged forward to speak with Zidane, who had hopped to the front now that he could actually see again. "Zidane, can you feel anything?"

"Huh?"

"Like, do you feel anything… off…?" Garnet whispered, her voice trying not to break into a shrill cry. She gulped and shivered as her eyes darted about the place. "It's like I have this feeling that something is watching us… Like, something is going to attack right about…"

There was a scream behind them, and Zidane turned to stare in mute amazement at the princess. Sometimes it was just uncanny. The three whirled around and saw just what Vivi (as only really Vivi or Garnet could scream that high) was shouting about. The stalactite above them was moving! It had one huge eye focused on the group, and the many tentacle like protrusions had snapped up the young Black Mage, lifting Vivi up into the air. The Stroper assessed the group and its prey as Vivi screamed out loud. "Help me, help me, please!"

"Oh, come on!" Zidane shouted, picking Oglop up and tossing him at Garnet. As the princess caught the bug, Zidane whipped out his daggers and rushed the creature. Steiner gawked at the acrobatics as the tailed man hopped up on a broken stalagmite, leaped over to a wall, kicked off of it, and jammed one of his daggers into a stalactite right next to the Stroper, hanging off of it like a monkey. He then swiped at the creature in a vain attempt to cut the tentacles and free Vivi, who was flailing in horror. The Stroper didn't seem to pay much attention to Zidane, who could barely reach the creature as it was, and instead focused on its meal, who was beginning to think that self defense might be in order.

"Fire!" was rather ineffective, "Thunder!" even more so. Vivi screamed as the Stroper opened its gaping maw, which resembled a ring of teeth that grew inward, to prevent any morsels from attempting an escape once inside. Zidane cursed lightly and spoke up forcefully. "Vivi! Ice! Freeze his tentacles!"

Vivi struggled just to move by this point, as the tentacles were covered in venom that was numbing the child's body. "I… I don't think I can…" he groaned, "I don't… think I can move…"

"_You can!"_ Zidane shouted aloud, and in his stupefied state, Vivi wasn't sure if it was the monkey man who said it or No. 776. _"You can do it, just concentrate!"_

Something within Vivi was moved by the shout, and the Black Mage's eyes suddenly flared up. He lifted his hands into the air, slamming them on the tentacles that wrapped around him and shouted "Blizzara!" The air practically froze around them as the tentacles froze solid. Zidane smiled and threw his free dagger expertly. The ice shattered, causing the Stroper to screech and retract its dozen tentacles within its stony body. Meanwhile, Vivi dropped towards the floor, but was thankfully caught by Steiner. Garnet approached the others with Oglop in tow, and the Stroper made a low growl as its tentacles flew out in many directions, grasping at whatever it could obtain. Steiner moved away with Vivi, and Garnet barely jumped away from the attack, but Zidane was a sitting duck, trying to yank his Mithril dagger from the stalactite. He failed, of course, and the monkey man gave a shout of anger as the many tentacles wrenched him towards the attacker. "Dammit! Tentacles were NOT on the menu today!"

"Zidane!" Garnet cried out in worry, picking up a rock and tossing it ineffectively at the creature as it proceeded to devour the unarmed man. "Let him go! Let Zidane go!"

"Take it down, hurry!" A voice came from behind the group. Garnet ducked instinctively when three arrows whizzed overhead. One of them bounced harmlessly off, and another lodged itself in a crevice of the Stroper's stony body, but the third landed in the gaping mouth of the creature, whose mouth was actually quite soft. The Stroper writhed and retracted its tentacles again, thrusting the monkey man away from it. Garnet stared for a moment, too surprised to move, as the creature swayed and lidded its one huge eye.

"The poison is quick," a bluish black skinned woman said, approaching Garnet from behind and standing at her side, "It should be dead in a few moments." The princess turned and stared at the newcomer, who looked at her expectantly. When Garnet failed to say anything, she shrugged and motioned to the creature in her arms. "You have a bug," she said.

The Stroper crashed to the ground, just inches from Zidane's legs. "Watch where you're landing!" Zidane shouted, kicking feebly at the dead stalactite monster. He then shakily stood as Steiner placed the young Black Mage on the floor.

As Zidane moved to regroup with the others and collect Oglop, the four turned and saw that the woman was accompanied by three men, whose skin very much resembled the dark tone hers was. The four stared at the four, as if staring into a mirror, and the dark skinned woman spoke up. "My name is Rel'il, cleric of our goddess. I've been sent to find whom I hope are you. Are you the Dark Warrior?"

Garnet stared at Rel'il and turned to the others. They shrugged, and she turned back. "My name is… Dagger. I'm a Dark Warrior, yes."

"Perfect, that blind 'oracle' we took prisoner wasn't lying to us after all," she replied, turning to the men, who were being completely silent, "Well then, I suppose you're searching for our Earth Crystal, then?"

"The Earth Crystal you STOLE from the Dwarves?" Zidane suddenly shouted, trying to step up and be intimidating when he could barely feel his legs. Garnet double face palmed as he shouted at the cleric. "Sexy woman or not, you're talking about things like you never assaulted those guys in the first place!"

Zidane was suddenly under assault by the woman's dagger, pressed cleanly against his neck. "I've slit the throat of men for less than what you spat, Male."

Garnet gasped and reached out to stop the cleric. "Zidane…!"

"However," Rel'il said smartly, sheathing her dagger, "I am not so stupid as to kill a Dark Warrior's toys without her permission." She turned, nodded at Garnet, and bowed to her. "I will explain everything I can as we travel to the Earth Crystal. Just ask." She then snapped her fingers and the men immediately moved to her side and walked one step behind her. It was very off putting for Garnet to watch, but Zidane was wondering how he could get into this group where he could watch that fine ass sway so nicely.

It didn't stop him from being the worst diplomat ever and asking stupid questions, however, "So why did you attack the Dwarves, anyway? They said you stole the Earth Crystal from them."

Rel'il didn't bother to look at him and turned to Garnet instead. "Do you always let your men talk down to you like this on the surface? Uppity pricks get castrated so quickly down here; did that not teach him a lesson?"

That drained the color from Zidane and Steiner's face. Vivi didn't get it, and Garnet tried to make it seem like she wasn't fazed by it. "Y-you Dark Elves are Matriarchal, then…?"

The cleric blinked at her. "Of course. I assumed seeing you as the Dark Warrior that this was true of the Overlanders of Gaia as well. This isn't your harem?"

Garnet's face exploded in red, and Zidane frowned at how he wished it were true. Steiner, meanwhile, sputtered madly, tried to figure out a way to tell the woman off without ruining this conversation even more. Vivi, once again, was lost. Rel'il whistled lowly at the reaction and she turned away. "Forget I asked. Jeez. A patriarchal society though. Damn, and I thought Gaia's Overlanders would beat Terra's Overlanders anyday…"

Terra! Terra was the World of Light that was their natural enemy! The Dark Elves knew about that world? "Wait, so you know about Terra?" Garnet pressed, intrigued, "Did you come from Terra, the World of Light?"

"Our Elven ancestors (Rel'il shuddered at the thought that she was distantly related to them in some way) were fancy, prancy, and dead by the time one of the Dark Warriors of old visited Terra to destroy the light. While he failed at Terra's destruction, he collected enough of us Dark Elves to destroy the Light Elves and flee here to Gaia. We've dwelt underground ever since."

Garnet frowned. "It's okay if you joined with the Darkness and lived down here, but the Dwarves have lived here far longer than you Dark Elves. Why were you fighting with them?"

"Those Patriarchal pricks thought that we were lying when we said we were rulers of the underground of Gaia. We taught them that we are the rightful rulers of the Earth Crystal." After her explanation, Rel'il suddenly blinked, her face screwing up in thought. She turned to question the woman (and Zidane frowned at how he suddenly turned into one of the whipped Dark Elf men). "Why do you care, anyway? You're getting to see the Earth Crystal. Why do you care for creatures you never see anyway?"

Garnet thought about Rel'il's question. For someone who loved the darkness so much, Rel'il certainly seemed to be like a person of the light. Perhaps living in Terra for so long tainted her people? Or was there something else…? "The Dark Warriors are paragons of justice. We need to protect everyone in this world if we're going to be able to stand up to the light."

Rel'il bit her bottom lip, her canines looking much sharper than their human ones, and she looked a little angry. "I suppose you're right. It's just silly, thinking that we would actually work together with patriarchal douches."

The princess smiled and shook her head. "Now now, there's no need for that. While most humans are patriarchal, Alexandria's ruled by my mother, Queen Brahne. After all of this, I think we should work to create an alliance between us, at least. It may take a long while, but I'm sure we can find a common ground between humans and Dark Elves."

Rel'il simply stared at Garnet, unsure of what to say. Finally she shook her head and continued further towards her home. "First, we'll have to see what the high priestess decides. Let me take you to both she and the crystal."

Garnet nodded and agreed, but looking at the woman's face, she wondered if this high priestess would even bother to try listening. She really hoped she could avoid battle, but if she had to…

…She had to steel herself for the possibility that she would have to fight people who wanted to live happily in the darkness, and the very thought made her shiver lightly in the underground tunnels.

* * *

The Dark Elf city that they were led to was obviously taken from the Dwarves. It was exactly like Conde Piet in looks, as there was a huge hole that descended as far as their dark accustomed eyes could see. The Dark Elves, having natural dexterity, were able to wander along the dangerous pathways with little difficulty, but the humans found it very hard, especially without the "Oglops", as Zidane called them, for light. Garnet had to call for Rel'il and her harem to slow down for them. Finally, through much huffing, puffing and scoffing, the cleric brought them to the largest house. It looked similar to King Goitt's home, so Garnet assumed that they were being brought to their leader. She turned and smiled at her friends; perhaps this wouldn't turn out so bad after all!

The king's "castle" had been turned into a makeshift temple, from the looks of things. Garnet looked around at the statues of spiders and webbing on the walls and the icon of a Dark Elf whose face gave off a smile of such evil that the princess shuddered. Rel'il ordered her harem to stand guard in the temple, and she beckoned Garnet forward. "Dagger, I'm going to enter in deeper and speak with the high priestess. When we are prepared, she will summon you in. Your harem will have to stay outside. No man is allowed inside the inner sanctum."

"They aren't my servants, Rel'il," Garnet said, trying to sound forceful and fighting to keep the blush from rising, "They're Dark Warriors, like me. We should all be present when we meet with the Earth Crystal, or I don't know what's going to happen."

Rel'il's face became dangerous. "Male Dark Warriors?" she hissed under her breath, "No. We cannot abide by this. I didn't say we could be saved by MEN."

"With all due respect, WOMAN," Zidane replied, standing up for Garnet even as the princess fought to keep him from speaking, "The crystals didn't ASK you, OR your people."

Something changed in Rel'il's demeanor. Her presence was suddenly huge, horrifying, and spiderlike. She bore down on the unarmed monkey man, grasping at his vest and dragging his face up to hers. "If you speak another word to me, MALE, I will tear you apart with my bare hands."

Garnet rushed forward and tried to tear the two away from each other. "Let him go, Rel'il! Zidane! Please!"

"Enough." The voice that came from the inner sanctum was enough to grab anyone's attention. It was charismatic, beautiful, and melodious. "Rel'il, I will allow this just one time. Bring the Dark Warriors forward. I wish speak to them in person."

Rel'il nearly screamed in anger and dropped the man unceremoniously. "Get out of my sight, all of you! All of you!" She bared her canines as Garnet grasped Vivi's hand and herded the rest of the group into the inner sanctum. Zidane tossed the curtain leading to the sanctum aside and nearly stopped when he saw what was on the other side.

The woman was ancient, her dark skin turning a lovely shade of black, and while she wasn't wrinkled, she certainly looked like she had wisdom well beyond the years of many. On both of her sides were creature that none of them had ever seen; they looked like Dark Elves, but below their stomach, their humanoid forms gave way to those of giant black spiders. In one's many legged clutches there was a hooded creature that looked much like the one back at King Goitt's throne room, of whom Garnet assumed was the prisoner Rel'il had spoken of previously. However, the thing that definitely caught their attention was the giant crystal, sitting on a pedestal behind the beautiful high priestess. The Earth Crystal seemed to start shedding its light and growing darker the moment the Dark Warriors entered the room, as if it was siphoning off what energy it could from them. "So, the Dark Warrior insists on bringing her pets into this holy ground," the woman said disdainfully, "Our goddess is very displeased, child. Speak your business and leave us as soon as you can."

Garnet grasped Zidane's shoulder when he opened his mouth, and he gave a shout when she twisted his arm. She took a step forward as the monkey man nursed his arm, and she took a deep breath, ideas of what to say flying through her head. Finally she bowed low to the ground and spoke, "I apologize for the intrusion, Ma'am, Majesty? Uhm, but there are four Dark Warriors, and I wanted all of them to be here when it gave us its power. I didn't mean to upset your goddess…"

The High Priestess bared her canines, and the Driders seemed to twitch in time to her anger. "I will have no excuses, child. Rel'il told you and yet you fought her authority. Do not lie that you didn't mean for this to happen. Just tell us what you want and be gone."

"We need the power of the Earth Crystal. We need its blessing so we can fight the light that is attacking Gaia. If not, Gaia will turn out to be just like Terra. Please, help us so that doesn't happen, I'm begging you."

The high priestess frowned deeply, her skin creasing in deeper ruts than normal, revealing her age more than she probably would have liked. The prisoner, who was rocking himself back and forth lightly, was whispering unintelligibly under his breath. Finally, the Dark Elf priestess took a step to the right of the crystal, allowing the Alexandrian Princess access to the Earth Crystal.

Garnet took a deep breath and took a step forward, looking up at the beautiful crystal. It twinkled in their minds, and she gulped. "Hello… Crystal. I, the leader of the Dark Warriors, wish to ask you for your blessing."

The words came in their minds. "You have done a very brave thing to come into a place filled with such hostile people. You have my respect. Bring forth the Dark Warrior of the Earth."

The high priestess spoke lowly in her Dark Elvish tongue in reverence, and the Driders seemed surprised as well. They were probably hearing the voice of the crystal in their heads, and really, not even Garnet was used to it. It was obvious that the Dark Elves would be amazed by it. Meanwhile, Garnet was at a loss. Who was the Dark Warrior of the Earth? Since the Wind Crystal chose Vivi, then it must be either she or Steiner. And since she herself didn't receive the blessing, she turned and motioned for her knight. "Steiner, I think the crystal means you."

"At once, Pr- Ma'am," the knight said, approaching the crystal and kneeling before it. The high priestess sputtered at the indignity of it all. "If you desire to give me your blessing, Crystal, on behalf of Alexandria, I will accept it."

"You're… standing… near our altar…" the high priestess moaned.

The Earth Crystal's light seemed all gone, so much so that it resembled nothing but pitch black darkness. To think that the crystals were getting so much stronger; surely with the power of the Fire Crystal, they could destroy the light that was threatening their world! "Be well, Dark Warrior of Earth. Search across the sea, find Mt. Gulug. The guardians of the Crystal of Fire will assist you further."

"Awww, sea air always makes my tail feel stringy and gross," Zidane lamented. The crystal ignored him.

"Earth Warrior…" the high priestess said as the crystal went silent, "are you saying that… that… MAN… is the Dark Warrior of the Earth?"

"I suppose this is true," Garnet said, helping her knight stand. "I would have expected nothing less from you, Steiner, you're as hard as a rock and even more stubborn!"

"I thank you, Ma'am…" Steiner said with a resigned sigh.

"This cannot be. The earth is OUR domain, the realm of the Dark Elves. We took and claimed it with our powers!" Across the way, the prisoner whispered that trio wasn't to be trusted. "I will not allow this to pass! Crystal! You will obey me! I order you to name a new warrior! A Dark Elf Warrior, one befitting the title of Warrior of Earth!" The Crystal remained silent to her questions, and she screeched aloud. "I will… I will not endure this! Rel'il! Come to me!"

Zidane shouted loudly as the Dark Elf rushed into the sanctum, dropping to the floor and grasping the hem of the elderly elf's robes. "My lady! Ask what you wish of your servant! What does the goddess demand of us?"

The priestess pointed a beautiful, shapely finger at the princess and her knight. "She demands the deaths of the Dark Warrior of Earth! He will DIE and WE, the rulers of the earth, shall name a new Dark Warrior!"

The room hostile tension exploded immediately. Zidane was suddenly by their side, grasping the hand of the Drider that was sneaking up on the princess. "Looks like diplomacy failed, Dagger!" the wide eyed man shouted, "Permission to kick these guys' asses?"

"I… I…!" Garnet backed away when the other Drider bore down on she and Steiner, but before the knight could even draw his sword, Vivi immediately stepped up to the challenge.

"Fire!" A small lick of flame passed by Steiner, but the small fireball didn't harm the Drider. It did, however, catch on her web, and soon the entire thing burst into flame.

The priestesses screeched and the Drider scrambled, wondering whether or not to abandon her web and the altar of their goddess or burn alive in the flames. Zidane smirked as the other Drider looked up at her twin for only a moment; that's all he needed. He didn't have a weapon, but that didn't make him weak. He punched the creature in the face, leaped over her, and grasped at the prisoner. "Alright, we're getting out of here. You okay?"

He pulled the cowl back and gasped. The prisoner's milky pale skin matched his completely white eyes. He was actually blind! "The volcano…" he murmured, a small trickle of blood running down his lip. "I'll tell you everything… please, don't hurt me anymore…"

Zidane suddenly felt intense empathy for the man. They had been hurting him a lot… He had to get Garnet to heal him when they got out of here. "Holy crap, they got you good. We're not here to hurt you; we're getting you out of here. Dagger! We got an escape route yet?"

"Almost…" Garnet murmured in the middle of a spell cast.

Rel'il gave a war cry and shouted for her men. Then she rushed forward and bore down on the princess, but Steiner would have none of that. She was grasped by her neck and lifted easily off the ground.

"I've held back my fury for the princess' sake, but now…" The knight grasped her hand and wrenched the dagger from it. "You're done for…"

"Filthy… man…!" Rel'il gagged. "You are the one who's…" Steiner whipped her up and moved in front of Garnet as the three men burst into the sanctuary (much to the chagrin of the high priestess), their bows prepared to fire. "You fools! Don't shoot!" Rel'il screeched, "DON'T. SHOOT."

"Yo Rusty! Thanks for the dagger!" Zidane shouted, picking up Rel'il's dagger and keeping the priestess at bay. "Yeah, you stay back, spider lady. I'm not one to gut a lady, but I will if you try and gut us."

"Our goddess will smite you all! Come, Hammer of Torment!" She raised her hands up into the air, but the spell fizzled immediately. Even in the sanctum of the Spider Goddess, the Crystal reigned supreme, and its darkness looked and was beginning to feel much like a black hole, sucking in the spell with hardly any trouble.

It was then that Garnet's summoning was finished. She raised her hands up and the earth seemed to rumble. In a flash, there was a puff of smoke, and a large, yellow chocobo appeared. "Where to, Garnet?" Choco asked.

Garnet smiled as she led the confused Gulgan to the chocobo and helped him mount up. "Where else, Choco? We're busting out of this place!"

"Alright!" the chocobo proclaimed as Garnet hopped on. She helped Vivi as well as Choco spread his wings. "It's been a long while since I've had a good run out of a den of evil! Let's do this!"

* * *

The fail in this chapter is mighty.

ANYWAY; Dark Elves appeared in FFI and IV. So I'm allowed, Nyah. Funny that in a matriarchal society, the only Dark Elves you ever see in the FF games are one strong Dark Elf, and he's always male. Maybe he got kicked out of his peoples' land for not being submissive enough and is now trying to live on his own? And if there was a Dark Elf in IV, where was he when everyone went into the World Below with the Dwarves?

The world may never know...

So yes, I figured that having women that all wanted to beat Zidane up would be loltastic. I mostly failed here but Driders are awesome so I think I'll forgive myself for now.


	8. Chapter 8

Alriiiiiiiight. I have lots of words piled up so I might as well upload a bunch!

Here it is!

READ ON!

* * *

"We can't all fit on Choco, Dagger. You're going to have to go on ahead. Rusty and I'll catch up." Zidane said. He turned to the chocobo and smiled. "You take care of Dagger for me!"

"I'll take care of her only because I want to, monkey, and not because you told me to!" the chocobo spat in response. He then pecked at the knight in front of him. "Get outta the way, I'm comin' through!"

Steiner gave a shout and dodged to the side as Choco barreled past him, trampling a few of the male Dark Elves as he went. Zidane rushed up next to Rel'il, still in Steiner's grasp, and ran his hand up her thigh. "You know, I really could get to know you better, if you weren't such a screeching harpy," he said as he wrenched her other dagger from its holster and dual wielded her weapons. Rel'il began screeching and flailing in the knight's arms.

"Men! Men! MEN!" she screamed. She struggled so mightily that she soon became a liability. Steiner dumped her on the ground and pursued the thief as they rushed after Choco. Rel'il, meanwhile, threw a tantrum on the floor at the indignity of it all. "Kill them! Kill them all! Especially that… that MAN. Goddess help me… Auuuughhhh!"

Zidane whooped loudly, raising his new daggers and laughing at Steiner's side. "Ahahaha, that look on her face! Priceless!"

"Revenge only makes them feel they have a reason to return such revenge," Steiner said, chastising the monkey man, "Two wrongs don't make a right."

Zidane rolled his eyes. "Hey now, I needed some new daggers anyway. Speaking of which, hey Dagger, are we almost out of here?"

"We're getting closer," the princess replied, keeping the Gulgan close to her as Vivi clung to her and bounced along. The Dark Elves that attempted to come up from the front were shoved over the cliffs by the running Chocobo, and those that came up from behind were stopped by the tiny Black Mage's spells. Zidane had to hand it to Vivi; he was really beginning to learn how to use his spells to his advantage. Those ice slicks he was making were really helping the group a lot. Soon, Choco turned to the left and rushed into a tunnel that led towards Conde Piet.

Zidane hollered with delight as the men took up the rear. "Alright! We're on our way back to the Dwarves! Hahaha, take that, you man hating jerks!" However, it wasn't time to fully celebrate, as the Dark Elven armies were still on their tails, and this time, there was no fire or ice to slow them down. Zidane looked up at Vivi and gasped; the child was slumping off of the bird! The thief leaped forward and caught him before he hit the ground, but now they had no way to stop the armies. "Dagger! Rusty and I can't outrun these guys, especially when I'm holding Vivi!"

"This is looking quite dire, Ma'am," Steiner said, unsheathing his sword. "I will do what I can to keep them at bay for as long as I can. You should get the Gulgan to safety."

"Don't be an idiot, Rusty!" Zidane growled at him, 'We're running from these assholes to keep YOU from dying! Don't ruin everything by playing hero! If anything, I should hold them off; I'm not a Dark Warrior, so…"

"No one is holding anyone off!" Garnet shouted from atop Choco, "Don't you go getting yourselves killed when here's another way we can do this." She turned the chocobo slightly so she could face the approaching army. There, she lifted her staff and began to channel her energy through it. "I won't let anyone get hurt. I'm the leader; I need to protect everyone. I need to protect the world!"

"Dagger…" Zidane murmured, wondering just what exactly was going through her mind at that moment. He then turned and cried out at the Dark Elves surging forward. "Whatever you're doing Dagger, do it quick!"

Steiner rushed in front of the thief, creating a wall of impenetrability. The Dark Elves' poison arrows bounced harmlessly off of his armor, and he cut down at least a dozen before he started getting overwhelmed. The Gulgan started whispering something, and Zidane grit his teeth and placed Vivi on the floor. "Yo, I'm going in. Can you stand?"

The Black Mage wobbled, but he nodded slowly. "I… I can do whatever you need, Zidane…"

"Good, I just need you to get to Dagger. Protect her and Choco, okay?" Zidane drew his daggers and winked. "Rusty and I'll be right back!"

"Be careful, Zidane!" Vivi cried out in distress as Zidane rushed into the battle, tearing through the men and being mindful of (most of) the women. However, there were just too many, and the thief knew that he and the knight would be overpowered in a moment.

"Hey, Rusty… Don't slow down on me now! The fun's just getting started!" Zidane shouted happily.

"This… isn't a game… *pant* you monkey man…!" Steiner hissed in response, "If something isn't done soon, none of us will survive…!"

"I got it! Praise the Darkened Earth!" Garnet cried out, finishing her summoning ritual, "Great Earth that swallows her enemies in darkness, I beseech you in offering your greatest warrior to me. Crush the enemies of the Dark Warriors under the ground they so love! Titan!"

The arrows that would have pierced Zidane's heart clattered harmlessly to the ground. The thief had disappeared, along with the rest of the Dark Warriors, Choco and the Guglan included. The Dark Elves looked at each other, wondering just what was going on.

It was then that the earthquake struck. Only the hardiest of elves were able to keep themselves upright as the earth shook mightily. A hand burst from the ground and the elves retreated in fear. A giant, scarred man, clothed only in a loincloth, dragged himself from the ground, tearing all around the tunnel as he did so. He barely fit in it as it was, and Titan really didn't look happy about it. He decided to take it out on the creatures in front of him.

The Dark Elves fell over each other in their feeble attempt to run from the giant. Titan roared, his voice causing their sensitive ears to become damaged and bleed. He slammed about in the tunnel, causing a giant cave in. The Dark Elves were crushed as Titan struggled to give himself more room. He was halfway through with his work when he realized his job was already done. Snorting at the thought of his mundane task, he turned into a muddy substance and slid back into the ground.

Meanwhile, the group reappeared just in front of the rubble of the cave in, Zidane still standing before it with his arms up in a vain attempt to protect himself from the arrows that would have struck him. He blinked and looked at the rubble. He heard Steiner's sword clank as the tip struck the ground, and the knight was panting heavily. Zidane smirked; that knight just wouldn't ever drop to the ground, even now. The monkey man gave a shout and leaped a full one eighty, turning to face Garnet. "You did it, Dagger! Man, Summoners are freaking amazing!"

Garnet smiled lightly, her own breathing slightly labored. "I… I suppose I did…" she murmured.

"So that's… the power of a summoner…" Vivi said breathlessly, falling to the floor in both exhaustion and awe. "That was amazing…"

"Choco, can we continue? I'm so tired…" Garnet murmured, reaching forward and petting Choco's brilliant feathers.

"Hey, for you, Ma'am, I'd do anything," the summoned creature replied, turning around. Garnet scooped Vivi up and held both he and the Gulgan close as the chocobo began his walk back to Conde Piet. "Hey you guys! Get over here before I leave you behind!"

Zidane let out a "Pssh" as he and Steiner both sheathed their weapons. "Man, no fair, being bossed around by a bird, huh Rusty?"

"I HEARD THAT," the "bird" shouted back, "I'm leaving you here!"

"Awww, you know I was just jealous that Dagger's riding you!" Zidane whined, chasing after the chocobo, "Come back here!"

"What was THAT, talking about the princess that way! Come back here, you squinty eyed monkey thief! I'll tear you limb from limb!" Steiner roared. Garnet double face palmed as Steiner ran to catch Zidane, who ran to catch Choco, who ran to keep away from either of them. This was just… this was just too much sometimes…

* * *

Conde Piet welcomed the group back with open arms, despite the fact that they were one crystal short. The knowledge that Titan crushed more than half of the Dark Elves' army seemed to make King Goitt think that they had a chance to retake their kingdom.

"That sounds like a good plan," Zidane said as Garnet put the finishing touches on her healing spells.

She stepped back and inquired of her patient, "Are you feeling better, Gerrick?"

"Much, milady. The pain is nearly all gone," the blind creature said, although he still twitched when people touched him. The pain might have been gone, but the memories weren't, it seemed.

"Why did they capture you, of all people?" Garnet wondered aloud.

"It is because we are Gulgan," King Goitt's right hand man replied, staring into space as Gerrick rocked back and forth, "We are those who see beyond the veil into the future. Our people long ago traded their eyesight for visions far past the present."

"Amazing…" Vivi said breathlessly, "You can see into the future?"

"Because we are not as closely bound to our culture as those who crossed over, we have been losing even that skill as well. Long ago, our people saw a vision that to save the world of Gaia, they would have to pass over to Terra, the World of Light. They did so, and a very few stayed behind to watch over and protect Gaia with their visions. Those that stayed behind were our ancestors. Because all of our elders left for Terra, our own sight has slowly been deteriorating."

Gerrick shuddered. "No sight for our eyes, and very little for our minds. We can't even choose what we wish to see anymore…"

Steiner nodded, his arms crossed in contemplation. "So the Dark Elves, who once lived in Terra and knew the Gulgans of the World of Light, thought you could tell them the future, and since you couldn't tell them everything they wanted to know…"

Gerrick moaned at the very thought, and Garnet tried to comfort him. "It's alright, Mister Gerrick, everything's fine. You're safe now."

"I say we go back and help the Dwarves retake the crystal. Those Dark Elf ladies need to be put in their place," Zidane said, "I mean, come on! If we don't, then the Dark Elves could actually win, and the last thing I want is a bunch of women lording it over guys." He coughed when he saw Garnet's glare. "But YOU, of course, Dagger, are the epitome of perfection. I'd follow you to the ends of Gaia!"

"Be that as it may," King Goitt said with a shake of his head, "we cannot ask for your help. You are needed somewhere else. Martin?"

Gerrick's brother, the Gulgan who sat at King Goitt's right side, nodded and spoke up, "The light is quickly devouring the world. If you don't leave across the ocean now, you may never meet with the last Warrior of Darkness. If you lose him, I don't think the Crystal of Fire will be able to find a member of his family to take up the mantle."

Gerrick finished the prophesy his brother started, staring up at the ceiling as if that was where the vision of the future was. "You must cross the sea to find Mount Gulug and the Crystal of Fire. If you hurry, you can gain the help of the people of fire."

"Is there any way we can get to Treno quickly?" Steiner asked, pressing for information, "If we must cross the ocean, we should be on our way as soon as possible, and the darkness here may keep us safe from the light above."

"Treno is a beautiful harbor city, the darkest in the world. Once we reach there, I'm sure the monsters of light will be at least weakened, if not unable to follow us at all." Garnet bit her thumbnail and looked deep in thought; "My biggest question is... is there a tunnel we can travel through to get to Treno from down here? It'd be better than wandering around during the day. By the time we reach Treno, there will never be any daylight, so we'll be home free."

King Goitt scratched his huge beard as he answered Garnet. "There is a tunnel we have that won't bring you directly to Treno; it's far too close to the ocean for us to want to create a tunnel directly there, but you should be able to get closer to the town than if you just left from Dali."

Garnet sighed and looked at the rest of the group. "It'll have to do, I suppose. Perhaps we should rest up before going. Is that alright?"

Vivi slumped forward and pled that they rest. "I'm so tired… being a Dark Warrior is really hard work…"

Zidane laughed. "Sorry, Vivi, but we're just going to have to get used to it. A break sounds nice though; I'm sure Rusty would need it, and Oglop looks really tired."

"How in Gaia did that thing manage to survive that battle? I almost didn't make it." Steiner groaned, looking at the fat glow worm.

Zidane held Oglop in front of him with a smile. "By being freaking AMAZING. Come on, Oglop, let's go find you some nice glowing chicks before we go to bed."

Vivi looked terribly confused as the squinty eyed man walked out with his bug in tow, and he adjusted his hat lightly. "But don't chicks eat bugs…?" he asked no one in particular.

Garnet giggled at the Black Mage and the turned to the king with a bow. "We would be very grateful for whatever beds you may spare, Your Highness."

"Wonderful, I shall have Gimi show you all to your rooms," the king replied, waving them all off as a court attendant came forward to take them to the inns, "and do be careful, many humans do not know how to keep their balance in our halls. The last thing we want is to lose some of our Dark Warriors, right?"

Garnet nodded, a smile on her face. "Right!"

As the group left the grand house, Steiner snorted with crossed arms. "I wouldn't mind at all if that squinty eyed thief fell straight into the pit with that demon worm! In fact, it would be one of the happiest moments of this journey!"

Vivi gasped aloud at the horrible thought, and Garnet tried not to laugh at how cute the young Black Mage looked. She was so happy to see a moment in which Vivi was not worried about things to come. He really looked just like a normal child. Seeing him made her conviction to save the world that much stronger. She clasped her hands together with a swift prayer to the Crystals. Next stop, the Fire Crystal of Mount Gulug and its people!

To Be Continued!

I can't wait for Mount Gulug. I'll have to keep the music on loop forever while writing it. Anyway! Hope you guys enjoyed it.


	9. Chapter 9

The temple was, surprisingly for Gaia, filled with light. The twins looked at each other with worried expressions, as if afraid of the light simply by default; however, there was something that made them stay, despite the horrible position they found themselves in.

They nearly jumped when they heard a voice from behind them. "So it's true then. They're already on their way to receive the blessing of the Dark Crystal of Fire."

Zorn and Thorn jumped a foot in the air in fright, whirled around, and saluted the figure.

"Yes, Sir!"  
"Sir! Affirmative!"

"We cannot say with utmost certainty…"  
"…but the balance, it is shifting."

"The Crystal of Earth…"  
"…Feel the changes already, we do."

The silver haired man nodded, standing up and lifting his hands to the sky. "Perfect. It matters not how much darkness you procure, my nemeses, it always flees at the first sign of light. Bring it all to me, Dark Warriors." A horribly bright, toothy smile appeared on his face, and his silvery tail flicked back and forth, like a cat toying with its prey. "I will be waiting for you expectantly, with our little lost sheep in your wake."

* * *

Evening came quickly for the Dark Warriors, and Garnet moved about in a flustered hurry when Zidane had pounded on her door.

"Dagger! Hey, I can't see the sky or anything, but I think it's well into the night! If we want to reach Treno by the time day arrives, we'd better head out soon!" Garnet giggled lightly to herself when she got out of bed and listened to Steiner berate the young man for waking Vivi.

"Good evening!" Zidane proclaimed as Garnet left her room, brushing her long, dark hair out. She struggled to attach her hairclip with precision, but relinquished control to Steiner, who moved deftly to put her hair up. The thief watched as the princess stood still and her knight worked on her hair. The thief chuckled under his breath. "I didn't know you liked playing with dolls when you were young, Rusty!"

Steiner would have snorted at Zidane's idiocy, but any chance of getting phlegm on Garnet's hair was blasphemy, so Garnet spoke up in his place. "Steiner's been my personal guardian since I was young. Usually I had ladies in waiting to wait on me, but when I would run away…" She giggled along with Zidane at the thought. "Poor Steiner would usually be the first one to find me; he knows me best of the knights."

"I had to learn how to do her hair up just right," Steiner continued, shifting his right arm up slightly so Vivi could rush past and listen to Garnet's stories, "because the last thing I could do was have her return home with unkempt hair!"

Garnet laughed aloud. "I could hardly believe it when he started doing it! I don't even know how he learned, because he certainly didn't practice on MY hair!"

"I guess even Rusty can be sneaky when he wants to," Zidane said with a devilish smirk. He was already feeling a little more respect for the knight, both in his adherence to his duties and his problem solving skills.

Vivi hid his face in his gloves. "That's hard to imagine, he's so loud when he walks around, always clanking everywhere." Zidane practically guffawed as Steiner fought to look stoic through the verbal assault. "I'm sorry, Mr. Steiner, but it's true…"

"One mustn't need to be quiet and inconspicuous when defending the Pri- My Lady and you, Master Vivi. Let the thief skulk in the shadows, as a native of Gaia must. I will do my job as a Dark Knight; may I always be a beacon of darkness against all that would strike at the Dark Warriors."

Garnet smiled as she turned around, her hair perfect for the coming journey. "And I wouldn't have it any other way, Steiner. Come on everyone, let's go! To Treno!"

"To Treno!" Zidane shouted back, rushing on ahead, "Come on come on come on!"

Garnet giggled into her hand and turned to the Dark Warriors. They nodded in unison, and ran after the thief. "Thank you, Dwarves," Garnet said to herself as she waved goodbye to Conde Piet, "I'll come visit and help you after I save Gaia… I… I promise!"

* * *

The Devil Sun was just peeking over the trees of the Dead Forest as the Dark Warriors dragged themselves out of the underworld of Gaia. They looked rather worn out, however, as Garnet had to summon Choco to ride on and Zidane was carrying a tired and sleeping Vivi, who had used too much energy to cast his spells. His spells were beginning to pack a punch, but he didn't seem to be able to control them without taking too much out of him. "We'll have to teach him how not to wear himself out. This guy is getting heavier the longer I hold him," Zidane practically whined, "Rusty, can you hang onto him?"

Steiner turned lightly, showing the blood that still ran down his face from a newly healed wound, and gestured to his unusable arm. The thief psshed at the fact that the knight had been muted just a battle before. "I thought you said it was just a flesh wound."

"Please… no more…" Garnet murmured, fighting to keep herself upright on the summoned chocobo, "I can't stand hearing you fight…"

Zidane smiled a bit. "But you really aren't listening to Rusty say anything, Dagger!" The princess frowned at him and he chuckled, backing off. "Right, sorry Dagger. We're almost to Treno anyway. We'll all rest there and snag a boat across the sea."

Garnet fished around for an Echo Grass while she explained their situation. "It will be hard to find a boat that can sail much further than the shorelines. There are very few cities in places aside from Alexandria Continent. I'm sure I can find something by saying we're Dark Warriors, but it will be hard to hide my identity; many of the warships' captains have seen me before when Mother and I would visit."

Zidane turned to look as Steiner gratefully accepted the grass and ate it respectfully, given that it was necessary or not, it was a gift from his very own princess! The thief rolled his eyes and came up with a better solution in two seconds flat. "You know, you could just cut your hair, Dagger. It might make you look different enough for…"

"You do NOT want to finish that sentence, Monkey!" Steiner shouted the moment the grass took effect. Zidane wondered if the Dark Knight wanted Garnet to keep looking like a princess or he wanted a continued excuse to put her hair up each evening.

"Steiner can find something for us after a rest at the inn," Garnet said quickly, with a smile, "I'm sure I can find my White Mage outfit. I'm a pretty good actor, if I do say so myself!"

"With all due respect, Ma'am, I can see through your disguises a mile away," Steiner said smugly.

Zidane rolled his eyes as they continued on to Treno. It was a rather strange sight to behold, as the sun was beginning to rise, but by some strange paradox, the stars and moon were out by the time they entered city limits. Treno was a magical land, built when Garnet's ancestors saw its dark powers. Garnet loved it there; she was glad to know that even though the world was being swallowed by light, there was one place that was always dark, no matter what.

Zidane whistled at the architecture of the town; at first sight it looked superfluous by design, but it was meant to catch the small bits of light and create beautiful shadows that were as part of the architecture as the stonework. It was really nothing like he had ever seen before, and it was a little breath of fresh air (so to speak…)

The inn was designed very much the same way, but the interior was a little brighter than the outside. While the outside utilized the lights of the lighthouse and the moon, the inside ceiling was practically covered in swinging lanterns just above them. Zidane would call it a fire hazard if he didn't assume existing was a hazard by this point.

"Good morning, My Lady. You must be exhausted at this early hour. Do you need a room?"

"Wouldn't be here if we didn't, huh?" Zidane replied, lifting up Vivi to show to the woman. "Pointing the way to some first aid might be nice, as well."

"Oh!" The innkeeper gasped at the injuries that the little black mage had sustained. "I'll find something right away. Here you are, Ma'am, room 42. Master Tail, come this way with the child, I'll take you to the Trenoian White Mage Council. Hurry!"

"Catch up with you two later, Dagger!" Zidane called, rushing after the woman with Vivi in tow. Garnet turned to follow, but Steiner grasped her shoulder.

"Steiner, I want to help. Vivi's…"

"…Been healed enough with your power this day, as have all of us. You're tired, Ma'am; the White Mages here aren't. You should rest." Garnet looked up at Steiner, and she sighed, turning away and resigning control over to her knight for once. She clutched the key in her fist and walked alongside the other Dark Warrior up to their room.

She took a moment of thought as they walked up the stairs together, and the princess opened her mouth. "I'm surprised, Steiner. You let Zidane take Vivi, another Dark Warrior, off somewhere you can't see. Are you going to let him go alone?"

Steiner frowned. "He's not alone, that innkeeper is with him."

"You know what I mean," Garnet said. She then smiled lightly at her retainer. "Steiner, could it be that you trust Zidane with our care?"

"Not YOURS, at least," the knight snorted in answer, "but he does seem to be attached to Master Vivi. He wouldn't let any harm come to the Black Mage." Garnet nodded lightly at his train of thought. The princess really had no choice but to drop the subject… for then at least.

The room that the key opened to was extravagant; Garnet wondered if the innkeeper somehow knew they were special, or if she just grabbed the first key on the rack. It was almost as extravagant as her room back at Alexandria Castle. The room was brightly furnished with flowers and lanterns, and the two created an unearthly, beautiful glow that in reality made Garnet shudder. If flowers looked so beautiful in the light, did that mean that they looked this beautiful in the horrible light filled wastes of Terra?

…Garnet was too afraid to continue thinking on that subject for fear that the Crystals would revoke their blessing to her. She instead turned to Steiner and nodded. "I think it'll be good enough to accommodate me."

She could tell that Steiner was in awe as well, but he suddenly straightened up from his slouched stupor to cough into his gauntlet. "It's not NEARLY as good as your room, Ma'am."

Garnet giggled. "I suppose you're right. Regardless, I would like to take a rest now before we go to the docks and find a ship."

Steiner gave his princess a snappy salute. "Understood. I'll stay here and wait for the monkey to return. Have a good sleep, My Lady."

Garnet curtsied for her retainer and turned around to lie down on the exquisite bed.

* * *

"Uhm… Zidane?"

"What's up, Vivi?"

"I'm really happy that you carried me all the way here to Treno to find me some healing, but why didn't we follow the nice lady back to the inn so we can see Dagger and Mr. Steiner again?"

Zidane frowned lightly as they walked down Treno's dark alleyways. "I figured we should check out the port; Dagger said it'd be hard to get a ship, so if we find one now, it'd put me in her good graces." Vivi blinked at Zidane, totally lost, and the squinty eyed man coughed. "Man, I'm going to have to teach you about how to get the girls, Vivi."

Vivi cocked his head to the side in thought. "I never thought about stuff like that…" he murmured lightly, wondering if that was really a bad thing.

"Don't worry, I'll teach you; I'm popular with all the ladies back home in Alexandria."

"Even Dagger…?" Vivi asked lightly, only because "all" included her. He never saw anything that made him think she was interested in Zidane, but then again, he really never thought about how people looked or acted when under the influence of love.

Zidane urked lightly but straightened out quickly. "Well, not as much as most of the other ladies, but she'll come around. Unless you want me to set the two of you up?"

Vivi flailed in horror. "Me and the princess! Butbutbut…!"

Vivi's friend laughed out loud. "I'm just joking, it's alright. We're nearly at the port anyway; let's find ourselves a boat!"

The tiny Black Mage nodded and adjusted his hat. "I… yeah, you're right." However, it didn't make him forget about what Zidane had said before… Him and the princess…! Vivi sputtered silently at the blasphemy!

The port was covered with lamps that, while spaced a few feet apart from each other, only were lit every other lamp. Zidane assumed it was because the lamps that weren't in use were getting their maintenance done so the lights could be on indefinitely. It was quite nice to see how the Trenoians lived in a land of eternal darkness. Zidane just wondered how the lighthouse could be on 24/7.

There weren't many boats in port, Zidane noticed. Not many that could make the journey across an ocean, at least. This bugged the monkey man considerably; Garnet said that Alexandria kept its navy here. Where were the ships that could accommodate them?

"Looking for a ship across the ocean?" Zidane had begun asking around - with Vivi twiddling his thumbs at the thief's side - and found the female (hell yes!) captain of a pretty large ship. "You won't be finding anyone who'll take you to Mount Gulug, that's for sure."

Zidane cocked an eyebrow. "But the Dark Warriors need it. How can the Alexandrian government turn a blind eye to the safety of the world?"

The female captain shrugged her shoulders. "It's not that they're turning a blind eye, it's just that they aren't here. Queen Brahne came here recently." Zidane stared, his face stuck in a mask of mute horror. "Rumor has it that she met up with General Falgabard, and suddenly the navy just up and left in the night. Well, the sort of night where people tend to sleep, rather than the night when everyone's around."

Zidane peered into the murky, black abyss. "Where would they be going…?"

"Never did say, although rumors state that some of the more loose lipped soldiers at the bars mentioned the Temple of Light a half a night before the ships left. That's where the portal to Terra can be opened, according to legend."

"That's not so much legend as it is fact, nowadays…" Vivi piped up. The captain stared at the tiny Black Mage, and he hid under his hat. "…S…sorry…"

"You're fine, Vivi. Look, I'm an official caretaker of the Dark Warriors' affairs." Zidane had to fight to keep from kicking Vivi when he protested lightly that he knew that wasn't the case. "How much is it going to take to get someone to let us cross the ocean?"

The captain scratched her chin, as if rubbing an overtly huge, cliché beard. Maybe she just wanted to look more manly…? "Ehhh, I might be able to do it if I was found to have three thousand gil in my coffers by the next midnight."

"How about you let us ride for free, and you'll have the greatest night you've ever had? This tail isn't just for looks, you know." Zidane said, eyebrows bobbing luridly. He ground Vivi's hat into the ground as the Black Mage protested horribly. It did get the captain's attention though, and she coughed.

"But… come on, I've got a living to make…"

"Now see, if the Dark Warriors fail to save Gaia and everything, you'll be dead anyway. So giving us a free ride is basically keeping yourself alive."

The woman threw her arms in the air. "I know that, but ship upkeeps aren't cheap! Come on…! Isn't there something you could do!"

* * *

"Oh, I'm sure there's something we could do," Garnet said as she brushed her hair out. Zidane and Vivi had returned to the hotel simply to tell the princess the bad news, but she seemed to take it in stride, like she always did.

Zidane frowned deeply. "Aww man, and I had already gotten her to do it for free, too…" he muttered unhappily.

"Zidane said he wanted to spend the night with her so it could be free!" Vivi crowed like a good stool pigeon should.

"Come on, Dagger, I wasn't going to actually do it!" Zidane shouted when the princess huffed and looked away. Steiner looked smug in the corner as the monkey man tried desperately to fix the relationship. "It was only a ploy to see what she was more interested in; come on, don't you believe me?"

"I believe that the three of us knew your true intentions, squinty eyed thief," Steiner muttered with crossed arms.

Zidane rolled his eyes as Garnet continued looking put upon. "Look, that's not the point," the thief said quickly, "It's the only ship around, and we just don't have that kind of money to throw around right at this moment. You can't even send word back to Queen Brahne for help, because she went off with General Faggotbeard…"

"It's FALGABARD."

"Right, that guy, to go to the Temple of Light. My hunch says they've figured out about your 'promotion' and they're going to try and stop the Light on their own to protect you."

Garnet stopped her hair brushing and turned to the others. "Vivi, is that true?" Zidane rolled his eyes again. He'd never be trusted again at this rate.

"That's what the captain lady said. She said that some of the soldiers said they were going to the Temple of Light. Everything will be okay though, right? General Falgabard is a good Dark Knight. He'll protect Queen Brahne, right?

Garnet pursed her lips and looked down at her lap, wondering what to do. Was that true…? "Mother… she went to the Temple of Light…? By the crystals, if she did that… she can't stop the light on her own, she'll…"

Zidane nodded fiercely. "Time's running out; you know what we have to do. We've gotta move, Dagger, and *fast*. We got to get the blessing of the Crystal of Fire and get to that temple before your mother does anything stupid and gets the entire army of Alexandria killed."

Garnet clutched her brush close to her, and after a moment of thought, she nodded lightly and looked up at the group. "Zidane… is right. We need to go as quickly as possible. I won't see my people, my mother, get killed. I am sure this woman will understand. I need… *we* need to go. Now."

Zidane smiled and Steiner saluted his princess. Vivi, however, just twiddled his thumbs. Why was he suddenly feeling so worried? He shivered lightly, and Zidane, seeing the look child's discontent, pet him on the back and they all went to speak one more time with the captain of the ship.

Zidane and Vivi didn't even have to lead the group to the port, as Garnet and Steiner knew where it was already. The princess looked terrified that there were so little ships; perhaps she was still hoping that her friends were mistaken. Instead she was going to have to move quickly to save her mother, and she steeled herself and went to the port where Zidane and Vivi met the captain.

Said captain was still by her ship, looking especially peeved that they actually returned, but she put on a smile and bowed with a flourish to the Dark Warriors. "My masters, Captain Erin's ship is at your service for as long as you need (to save this world and then leave me alone)!"

Garnet bowed low to the ground, actually sweeping past the captain's own bow. "Your help is intensely appreciated, Lady Erin. My name is Dagger, leader of the Dark Warriors. I swear to you that I will find a way to repay you for everything you are doing for us."

Erin smirked. "Naww, I should apologize. I mean, we can't very well have the world being swallowed by Light, now can we? I figure eventually that even Treno won't be as dark as it is now if this keeps up." She gave a frown and crossed her arms. "But don't think that I really like the idea of letting you drag me around the world, so I ain't goin' anywhere other than where you need to be. No exploring the world looking for tiny, unexplored islands that chocobos can secretly access, alright?"

Garnet giggled and nodded. "It's a deal then, Lady Erin," she said, holding out her hand to seal the contract.

Erin smile widened and she grasped the princess's hand. "Just Erin, please. Dark Warriors or peasants, we treat each other the same on board my ship. Speaking of ships, what are we waiting for?" She twirled around and gestured brightly to the large vessel. "All aboard the Misty Maiden!"

To Be Continued!

Just a little bit before Mount Gulug and the final Dark Warrior. Process of elimination makes it kind of easy to figure out who it might be, but then again, I'll be putting the next chapter up soon. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!


	10. Chapter 10

I've been taking a long while to load this stuff, mostly because I haven't been writing a lot anymore. I have lots of work and I've been playing a lot of different games, so writing isn't a huge thing on my list anymore. I apologize to the few people who read this. I'll try to keep it going regardless.

READ ON, please!

* * *

The ride out of Treno was strange, to say the least. The Dark Warriors had stayed in the City of Darkness for the entire day, so by the time they left the borders of Treno, it went from night to sunset. Zidane didn't bother to wonder how that was possible. He was too busy stalking through the ship, his tail flicking uneasily. Garnet noticed his strange behavior, so when Steiner was busy telling a sailor of the Misty Maiden how dangerous the ship was for his lady, she snuck away to find and talk to him.

"Good evening, Zidane," she said with a smile. The thief nearly jumped and turned to her quickly. He then let out a sigh and returned her smile with a half hearted one.

"Hey Dagger. How have you been?" he asked.

"I could ask you the same. You're trembling all over. What's the matter?"

Zidane frowned and bit his lip as it he wasn't sure himself. "I just… it's like, I don't think we're going the right way."

Not the right way? Garnet giggled aloud at his worried look, and she moved closer. "Do you mind?" she asked, moving him to rest against a banister as she pointed at the stars. "See there? That's the North Star. Judging by the way it's pointing, we're heading northeast. That's where Mount Gulug is. Don't worry, Zidane, we're going the right way. We'll find the last Dark Warrior, get the Crystal of Fire's blessing, and then save Mother and the world."

"Well, I get all that, but…" He pulled back and turned around, staring towards the south. "I just… that's not the way we need to - where *I* - need to go. It's over there; we need to go…"

"To the Temple of Light?" Garnet wondered aloud, looking in Zidane's direction. "We'll be going that way after we get the Crystal of Fire's blessing, alright?" She smiled at the monkey man. "Thanks for worrying, but there's really nothing you need to feel anxious about. Everything will turn out just fine."

Zidane blinked at the princess, and suddenly he let out a low chuckle. "Aww, I'm not so much anxious that things will go wrong as I'm anxious to slaughter the light and save your mom."

Garnet smiled at him lightly. "Thank you, Zidane, for everything you've done so far. I really don't think we could have made it this far without y- Oh…!" The princess looked down and recoiled when she saw that Zidane's tail had snaked its way around her leg. "Zi-Zidane, I can't believe you!"

"Hey, it's not my fault. The thing has a mind of its own." He grasped his tail and shook a finger at it as if chastising it. "Bad tail, bad…!"

Garnet gave a huff, clearly not in the mood for his shenanigans, and she tromped off towards the door so she could head down to the sleeping quarters. Zidane watched her go, and after the door was closed, he slammed his foot into the banister. "Dammit, why'd you do that, Zidane?" he grumbled to himself, leaning against the banister. Perhaps it was for the best…

…He should probably sleep out under the stars tonight. If Steiner found out what he did, there would be no peace below deck… He sighed and looked up into the sky. The North Star twinkled back at him, but he couldn't help but turn towards the south anyway…

* * *

It was morning by the time the ship docked with Mount Gulug in the distance. Erin stood with the group as the four disembarked, and she put her hands on her hips. "Right, just take this torch and wave it at night. We'll come and pick you up."

"You're not waiting for us here?" Garnet asked with a blink.

Erin cocked an eyebrow. "We're much better equipped to encounter sea monsters than the light monsters of the land. We're going to head out a few miles and weigh anchor there. If you must reach us in the day, we'll send a boat out to collect you, alright?"

Garnet sighed. It was better than nothing, she supposed, especially since Erin was doing this for free. "Thank you so much for your help, Erin. Come on, Dark Warriors. Let's be off to Mount Gulug."

Zidane snorted at Erin, but the three followed their leader towards the ominous looking mountain that loomed in their view. Zidane had never seen a volcano before, but something seemed strange. It took a few hours of marching to tell what that feeling of dread was. The four were beginning to cough a lot from something.

"Something… isn't right here…" Garnet murmured through her coughs.

Zidane looked up through squinted eyes that were squeezing out tears. He reached up and caught the black dust floating from the sky. "It's ash." He coughed a bit. "The volcano erupted."

"It must have been…" Steiner hacked up what appeared to be a lung. "…recent, to have this much in the…"

Vivi suddenly gave a shout of horror. Everyone looked up as the Black Mage rushed forward. "No! No, it can't be!"

"What's the matter, Vivi?" Zidane asked, hot on the boy's heels. Vivi soon had to slow down, because the ash was too thick to run in. Garnet began searching through spells to find a way to keep them from dying of ash inhalation as Vivi grabbed Zidane's arm and cried.

"Zidane, Zidane, people lived here! People like my people!" Vivi cried.

"Are you talking about the Fire Crystal's guardians, then, Master Vivi?" Steiner said aloud as he caught up with the others, "It would make sense. Alexandria protected the Water Crystal, the Black Mages protected the Wind Crystal, and the Dwarves protected the Earth Crystal. Do you think the guardians lived inside Mount Gulug?"

Zidane suddenly realized what Vivi was worried about. He gave a gasp, and then coughed harshly. "That means…*cough* we were warned that Fire's Dark Warrior might already be dead. What do we… *cough* …what do we do now?"

Garnet walked forward, spreading some petals around the four. "First, we protect ourselves from the ash. I think I understand the properties to change what I want the spell to protect us from. Let me see… Protect!"

Zidane could easily see the difference, even though the shield was invisible. Suddenly, the black flakes stopped just ten feet above them. Some of the ash flakes even slid down the side and dropped to the floor. "That's great. What would we do without you, Dagger?"

She smiled back at him, but it wasn't as bright as she usually did. "I honestly have no idea."

"Indeed!" Steiner proclaimed loudly, like any good knight protectorate would do. He nodded lightly and waved his hand about in the air. "Well then, I suggest we head towards the mountain and see if we can find some survivors. There must be some people who survived the eruption!"

Garnet nodded. "Indeed, the protection spell should keep our lungs safe, so we can go without…"

"Dagger, get down!" Zidane was suddenly on top of the princess, dropping into a crouch over her with daggers at the ready. There was a clanging sound, and a strange sharpened chakram fell to the floor when it connected with Zidane's dagger. Vivi gave a scream and Garnet looked up from her prostrate position.

"What is it, Zidane?"

"Show yourself, you coward!" the thief shouted into the ash, "Don't you think that just because it's smoky that you can fight from out there! You can't touch us with those thrown weapons, I'll just smack all of them out of the sky!"

"Can he breathe out there?" Vivi asked, trying in vain to see out in the smoky black.

"If he's a fire based Light Monster, then I don't doubt it," Zidane said, grinding his teeth angrily. "It doesn't matter though. You should get down too, Vivi. I can't protect both you and Dagger."

"Then I shall do it!" Steiner proclaimed, raising his sword. Zidane sighed exasperatedly.

"How do you propose that?" the thief asked, "Unless you want to hover over these two like a mother hen…" Zidane blinked, suddenly thinking of an idea. "Dagger, can this bubble protect me even if I move out of it?"

Garnet shook her head, but didn't get up. "The ward isn't like other Protect spells; I altered it so it would only be where the petals landed, otherwise it wouldn't be large enough to house all of us. We can't leave it without…"

"Then Rusty'll take care of you and Vivi. I've got the attacker!" Zidane shouted, rushing from the protection bubble before Garnet could tell him to stop. He disappeared into the ash before anyone could say a thing.

"Zidane, Zidane, wait!" Garnet shouted just as Steiner came up on she and Vivi, deflecting a thrown weapon with his gauntlet. She stood up with a ducked head and groaned in exasperation. "When is he going to learn that running ahead does nothing?"

"At least he's learned that he's the most expendable and therefore should be treated as cannon fodder," Steiner said amiably. Garnet sighed.

* * *

Zidane did his best to breath what little ash he could. He held an arm up to his mouth as he listened intently for his prey. There was movement, but he could tell it was only Steiner's armor. He let out a cough and tried to shout to get the enemy's attention. "Show yourself, bastard!"

There was a sound from behind him, and he whirled around just in time to keep from getting cut up by some wicked claws that were attached to knuckles on a giant man's hands. His skin was a strange pale blue color, and his fiery red hair was all over his body, right down to his goatee. "Monsters of Light deserve nothing but death," he growled in a gravelly voice.

Zidane held the enemy back as best he could with just his daggers, and he coughed as he spoke. "I don't… need to breathe to be able to beat you!" the thief said, "and I'm not a monster of the light!"

"You lie," the man growled, shoving harder on Zidane, "I can sense it all over you. You are a creature of the light, no matter how hard you try to hide it."

"Look, it doesn't matter, I…" Zidane stopped and twisted to the side, deflecting his enemy's blow. The thief then pointed at what he wondered was truly an ally. "…Wait, you can sense the light? That's some trick you got. Only a…" Only a Dark Warrior would be so susceptible to something like that. "We shouldn't be *hack* we shouldn't be fighting. We're *cough* the Dark Warriors."

The new person stopped and stared at the coughing betailed thief. With one swift motion, the blue man kicked Zidane to the floor, walked over him, and rushed to where the others were situated and protected by their spell, leaving Zidane coughing into the ashen floor.

When the red haired man approached the bubble of protection, Steiner grasped at his broadsword and stared the newcomer down. The fiery man glared at the three from under his scraggly red dreadlocks…

…And inclined his head. "So you finally decided to show your faces. I wouldn't have struck if you hadn't been dragging a being of Light around by the collar. You felt like the people who caused the eruption."

Vivi's small glow orbs widened. "So you are a guardian! My people are guardians too! We guard the Wind Crystal!"

"I'm sorry we scared you, sir…" Garnet said as Steiner helped her up (How scandalous, to have a man see the princess in such a compromising situation!) "But we were just trying to help. What happened…?"

He frowned at the three and crossed his arms. "First tell me why you have a pet that stinks of Light." Speaking of the devil, he turned and glared at Zidane as the squinty eyed man returned, hacking and coughing from the ash. "Surely you can tell that he is no friend of the darkness."

Garnet frowned. "Now see here, Mister…"

"Just call me Amarant."

Garnet coughed into her hand to keep going. "…Mister Amarant… Zidane has done nothing but assist us through our journey. If it weren't for him, we would never have gotten this far. If he was working with the Light, he wouldn't be trying to help us like this. Besides…" Garnet cocked her head slightly. "…How can you tell who has Darkness or Light within them?"

Amarant glared at the four as Vivi tried to help Zidane get the ash out of his lungs. "The Fire Crystal had me pass its test when I was five. I've been training since then to become a warrior to fight the Light. I have honed my body to destroy any light that would appear. It is obvious that being able to sense the Light would be a power that Dark Warriors should learn. New Dark Warriors, I suppose, haven't trained that ability yet."

"Look at this guy!" Zidane shouted angrily, "He thinks he's better than us just because he claims he can do something no one else can do? I bet he's just talking out of his…"

Amarant interrupted the betailed man with a growl. "I suggest you hold your tongue, Light Monster, before I cut it out myself."

"Not again!" Garnet cried, standing between the two, "Amarant, Zidane has done nothing to hurt us, and I trust him. Please, trust the judgment of the leader of the Dark Warriors and bring us to the Fire Crystal. Once we save the world, you can go back to living your normal life, and no one has to die, okay?"

Amarant turned just as quickly to glare at Garnet through narrowed eyes. "There is *no* way my life can return to normal. Mount Gulug erupted days before you arrived, and even now it is spewing lava all around. My people were caught in the eruption, as we lived at the base of the volcano. They're gone."

Vivi gave a horrified shout and Garnet murmured a soft prayer. "Oh no!" The little black mage cried, "We were too late!"

"How did you survive?" Steiner asked, "Are there other survivors?"

Amarant snorted. "It doesn't matter. We need to get to the Fire Crystal as soon as possible so I can finish my job." He looked up into the sky and then back down at the group. "You can't handle the ash." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"We haven't lived near an active volcano all our lives. I wonder how the hell you can handle it…" Zidane muttered under his breath.

"Regardless," Amarant said, pulling out some large square cloths, "You will need these. They are magically woven and allow air to pass through, but not ash. Just wrap them around your mouths and we can continue. I will… tolerate… the Light monster's stink, but only because I can sense that you are the leader I am supposed to follow." He handed the cloths off to the warriors, but he stopped at Garnet and glared at her in such a way that a chill ran down her spine. "Be forewarned, Leader; if you cannot handle the leadership of this band, I shall take it. Do you understand?"

"How rude! Would you go against the almighty desires of the Crystals, you ruffian?" Steiner growled, shoving a finger at the assailant in an effort to protect his princess. Amarant ignored the knight and looked at Garnet instead, interested only in her response.

She looked up at him in defiance and wrapped the cloth around her face. "Amarant, I do not know if I will be a perfect leader, but a truly good leader asks for help from all of her friends. I will take advice from Vivi, Steiner, and even Zidane and you, whenever I need it. Do not think that I am weak and helpless. I cannot do this without you Amarant, and by the crystals, you cannot do this without us."

The other Dark Warriors and Zidane all turned and smiled at their leader, excluding Amarant, who pursed his lips and snarled at the woman. "There is nothing left for me to fight for. My only goal now is revenge against the Light. I will only stand by your side until the Light is rent from this world by my own hands, and then we shall part ways for good."

Zidane rolled his eyes after applying his cloth. "Whatever you want. I'm seriously tired of fighting with you. Come on, Dagger, let's go." Amarant glanced sideways at Zidane and then looked at Garnet, who held her head up high and looked straight into his dreadlock covered eyes. He snorted and motioned for them to follow, and he strode straight to Mount Gulug.

To Be Continued...

* * *

Hope it's been enjoyable so far. I'll try to upload the next part soon. Have a good day and I'll see you next chapter!


	11. Chapter 11

Hey! I didn't take forever to write this! I hope you guys can continue enjoying it from here on out.

Please READ ON!

* * *

Mount Gulug had a few openings for the Dark Warriors to enter so they wouldn't have to climb into the mouth, and Zidane thanked his lucky stars that the lava that had spewed out was now cool enough to walk on without melting their shoes or feet, but it was unbearably hot the moment they entered the volcano proper. "I'm so glad I left Oglop on the Misty Maiden. He probably wouldn't have been able to survive this…"

"Steiner, will you be okay? You don't look so well," Garnet asked her protector. The knight, realizing he was slumping over from heat exhaustion, straightened up and shook his head.

"You needn't worry yourself over me, Princess. I am just fine on my own. We should, however, get to the crystal as soon as we can."

"The Salamanders who live here will not attack me nor you," Amarant said matter-of-factly. "We are similar: we guard the Fire Crystal. When we encounter the monsters who did this, however, we should expect a fight."

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Vivi murmured, twiddling his thumbs as they marched alongside Amarant. "Can you feel it, Mister Amarant?"

The Dark Warrior ground his teeth. "I cannot sense any other Light in this volcano. I wonder if the monster who caused the eruption left."

"It's not just that," Vivi said in a small voice, his words trembling more and more as he spoke. He was about to continue his train of thought, but the five soon entered the main room, where stories below them the lava churned and boiled. They stood on an outcropping in the middle of the volcano, and in the middle of the room, at the very edge of the outcropping, the Fire Crystal of Darkness floated and devoured the light around it. Like a miniature black hole, the crystal resembled a dark flame that released light and devoured it, sustaining itself with its own power. The five stared in rapture at the beauty, and Garnet shivered with excitement. "This is it," she murmured, "With the power of the Fire Crystal, we can stop the light and save my mother."

Amarant frowned deeply, his face creasing darkly, and he strode forward. "I will be quick," he said flatly. He approached the crystal, and suddenly Vivi shouted out loud.

"Mister Amarant! Watch out!"

Everything happened so fast, Garnet couldn't tell what had happened. Amarant was as fast as the lightning that shot at him, and he leapt aside just in time to avoid being shocked. Zidane rushed forward and jumped over the icicles that created a slip stream of ice on the ground, and the thief was at Amarant's side, daggers out, as three magnificently graceful winged Black Mages slowly flew down from their perches above the five. Vivi gave a tiny squeaky inhale of horror as the three looked down at the five. "Well well well," the tallest said, his huge black wings keeping him easily aloft as he spoke, and lightning crackling in his free hand as he held a golden staff in the other. "Look who we have here…"

"Who the hell are you guys?" Zidane demanded, enraged at the enemies for attacking the Dark Warrior. "You better get down here before I kick your butts!"

"Zidane, watch out! They're the Black Waltzes!" Vivi cried, his eyes wide. Garnet turned to the Black Mage, and Vivi grasped his hat. "Black Magic is inherently dangerous. The Darkness can devour your soul and send you into madness. Black Mages are resistant to the Darkness, but there are exiles who…"

"No. 777! It's been so long! How has your 'perfect' brother been?" the shortest asked, interrupting Vivi's explanation, "No. 776 never did let us teach you about the Darkness. Brother 777, you don't see? The Darkness has brought us power, and with this power, the Black Waltzes can take the power of the crystals. The true Darkness will be the ones to destroy the Light!"

Garnet gulped audibly. "But you erupted the volcano, didn't you? How could you say that destroying evil is right when you hurt innocents as well? That doesn't sound like a person of Darkness at all! The Light has tainted you!"

There was a feminine chuckle from the middle sized one, who fluffed out her dress as she floated without feet. "Is that what you believe, Dark Warrior?" the female Black Mage asked, "You are wrong. Darkness is not inherently good, and neither is Light inherently destructive. The only true right and wrong in this world is Power and Weakness."

"Whoever has the most power…" the smallest cackled.

"…Is the one who is in the right," the tallest said stoically. "We are the exiles who have discovered this truth! I am No. 3, the Black Waltz!"

"You may call me Black Waltz No. 2," the woman giggled with an aerial bow.

"And I am Black Waltz No. 1," the smallest finished with a flourish ring of his bell, "We are the new species of Darkness that will rule Gaia and cover Terra in a sea of darkness and blood."

"B-blasphemy…!" Vivi murmured, shivering into his hat, "To name yourselves after the almighty first three…"

"You cannot instill doubt within us, Light fiends!" Steiner shouted, raising his sword, "The Darkness will always righteously lead the way and cut through the Light! Master Vivi! I need your help!"

Amarant stared at the three as Vivi conjured an incantation and tossed his spell at Steiner's broadsword. The lightning crackled all around the metal and Steiner rushed at No. 3, who stoically waited for the knight to strike. At the last moment, No. 3 brought his staff up and blocked the attack. It was a metal staff with enough gold wrapped around it that the conductor devoured and drew the lightning into the Black Waltz's very core. The lightning eventually died, and Zidane clutched at his daggers and clenched his teeth. No. 3 looked fairly unharmed, and he reached out with his free hand to grasp the knight's arm. "Now. My turn."

The lightning that crackled all around him, and Garnet screamed as thousands of bolts rent through the knight, being aided by his armor and sword. The princess moved to get to Steiner, but No. 2 was suddenly at her side. "Such a good little priestess, but that's no good. Dark Warriors will just get in our way, so I suppose we shall have to…" Garnet shouted angrily when No. 2 reached out and grabbed her arm. "…dispose of you all."

"…Get off her, you scumbag!" Zidane shouted, running full tilt at No. 2 as Vivi began casting another spell. No. 2 gave a squeal of delight and used her free hand to create a wall of flame between the thief and princess. "Dagger! Don't worry, I'll get to you!"

"Zidane…! Help…!" Garnet choked as she ineffectually slammed her staff into the gut of the enemy Black Waltz.

"Let her go!" Vivi shouted, just in time for him to be tackled to the ground by a mage only slightly taller than him.

No. 1 cackled with glee as his hands were brought to Vivi's shoulders. His hands then proceeded to gather ice on the robe. "It's been so long, No. 777. I want to play with you again, like we did when we were children. Oh wait, you're still a child, aren't you? When will you grow up, No. 777?"

"Let me go! Leave me alone, No. 539!" Vivi shouted, trying to regain his concentration for a legitimate spell cast, "I'm fighting for my brother, and No. 776 would want me to stop you, not join you!"

No. 1 glared at the little Black Mage, angered that the boy would use his real number rather than his Black Waltz number. "You might have learned to grow up and think for yourself, No. 777…" he said slowly, raising his bell and preparing to freeze Vivi solid, "But not now. Now your heart will stop before the heat will melt you."

Steiner crashed to the floor and Zidane paced around the fire wall as No. 2 whispered sweet nothings into Garnet's ear until she fell under the sway of the Black Waltz's Sleep spell. "How disappointing…" No. 2 murmured demurely, "You're far too beautiful to simply kill. Perhaps No. 3 will let you be spared…"

"Zidane!" Vivi screamed in horror, feeling more frozen than mobile even at that moment, "Zidane, help me!"

"Amarant, help me out here! Dagger's in danger!" Zidane shouted, trying to get as close to the fire without catching himself.

"I work alone," Amarant said nonchalantly as he casually approached the fire wall, "I especially don't work with Light stinking monsters."

"Fine then, have it your way. Just take care of Dagger and switch with me!" Zidane turned on his heels to help Vivi. "You can handle fire or something; get Dagger!"

The monk growled as Zidane rushed off the other way. "I don't take orders from those who stink of the Light." He turned to the fire wall and drew his knuckles up. "But these things deserve nothing but death for what they did…" With a war cry, the man jumped straight into the fire, rolling through the flames and coming up to slice through No. 2's arm. The Black Waltz cried out in anger and pain, and she abandoned the princess, flying away in hopes of escaping the monk. She clutched her arm and began a spell against the attacker.

"Those without power, who cannot wield the Darkness like the Waltzes, deserve nothing but death. You and the woman will be devoured by the flame. *I* am the true master of fire, not a scared boy who ran from his dut-gkk…!"

There were no words that came from Amarant, just an expertly thrown weapon and a completely stoic face as he stood next to the unconscious Garnet. No. 2 was interrupted as a chakram flew expertly and slid into her gut. She shuddered and flapped her wings to stay aloft, but her strength already began to fade. "I… can't… not like this…! No. 3. No. 3, please…!" And with that, the flame wall disappeared the moment No. 2 crashed to the ground, unmoving. Amarant drew his bloodied knuckles up just to watch No. 3's eyes flare and his body crackle with lightning.

"Next," the Dark Warrior said, stepping over the princess' body and preparing for the next round.

Meanwhile, Zidane charged across the outcropping with a war cry. "Vivi! I'm coming!" No. 1 released the nearly frozen Black Mage just in time to look up and watch as a boot connected with his face. The Black Waltz went flying off of Vivi, and Zidane dropped down to inspect the freezing Black Mage. "Vivi, Vivi, hang on. Don't worry, I'll make sure they don't do anything to… you know…" he eyed the tiny mage up and down. "…shatter you."

Vivi was mostly frozen solid, so Zidane was right in assuming that a hard enough crack from a staff would cause the child to lose an extremity at best, but the glowing eyes were darting around, and Zidane saw that Vivi was scared to death. "I'm so… cold, Zidane."

"You'll be fine, 777. I won't let them kill you. I screwed up with 776, but dammit I'll won't let you die too, I promise."

"Zidane…" Vivi blubbered, trying so hard to stay brave.

It was then that No. 1 lifted into the air, fully recovered from the boot to the head. "I'll freeze you too, Light filled Monkey Boy! I'll freeze you all! I'll freeze the world!"

"Oh, don't even bother!" Zidane shouted, leaping into the air above one of No. 1's icicle strikes, his boot coming down on the youngest waltz's head. No. 1 cried and clutched his dark face as Zidane rolled away and leapt to his feet in one swift motion. "Stop talking and back up your words!"

"Wahh! Big brother, it hurts!" No. 1 shouted, sobbing into his hands. Zidane watched as the child cried loudly. "Why couldn't we bring Sealion? I want Sealion here *now*!"

The thief watched with mild satisfaction as No. 1 became the very thing he accused Vivi of. Both were too young for this; Zidane couldn't even imagine why this waltz would desire to head out into the world like this, causing mayhem and destruction wherever he went. Perhaps No. 3 had something to do with it… "Look, kid," Zidane began, approaching the wailing child as he did, "You clearly don't know what you're doing. I don't make a habit of hurting children or making them cry, so I'll give you the chance to give up and head out of here. I mean…" The thief was interrupted when No. 1 whirled around, his tiny bell ringing as he did, and the waltz glared at Zidane with eyes that glowed red.

"…You hurt me…"

"Look, No. 1? No. 777 has the right idea. This idea of yours to take over the world is, frankly, asinine, and…"

"You know nothing. The Light is weak, the Darkness will devour it all. I won't. let. you…" Zidane backpedaled as a miniature blizzard formed around No. 1, creating ice crystals around the Black Waltz and slowly melting and turning to steam as they flew away from him. "Won't let you hurt me again…!"

"I don't want to hurt a kid!" Zidane shouted, holding his hand up to block the small ice crystals from getting in his eyes, "Come on, kid! Just back down and we'll…!"

"Stop treating me like a CHILD!" No. 1 screamed, the ice shooting out in deadly icicles and causing Zidane to retreat for a safer locale.

The thief tore past Amarant as he fought with No. 3, and the monk growled at the intrusion. "Get out of my way!"

"Think fast!" No. 3 shouted, slamming the butt of his staff into Amarant's gut and releasing a flash of lightning, causing the monk to recoil and stagger back. He nearly tripped over Garnet before finally regaining his footing over her prone body. Looking down, the monk hissed and ground his foot between her shoulder blades, and then leapt away just as another arc of lightning flew towards him. "Stand still and die like a man, or do you continue to insist on running away from your problems?"

"Just giving myself some room," Amarant said lowly, raising his knuckles, "Although I won't need it."

No. 3 cocked his head, but he suddenly heard a voice that sent chills down his spine. "You like lightning storms, Waltz?" Garnet asked, standing up and holding her rod forward, "Let my friend show you how it's done. Darkest Wind come forth, both hot and cold! Ramah, King of the Wind, please help us!"

The heat in the volcano was unbearable, but the wind that blew around No. 1 and 3 was suddenly mixed with a cold front that strangely lifted into the sky, out of the volcano and towards the starry sky. The rain that came down caused No. 1 to laugh out loud, turning it to ice before it even touched him. "Brother, can you imagine? Is this supposed to…"

"Silence!" No. 3 hissed, looking skyward, his glowing eyes wide. The wind was picking up, and the rain was quickly becoming a storm. No. 3 turned to No. 1. "We run."

No. 1 stared in mute question as No. 3 rushed for the exit that the Dark Warriors came from, but before he could reach a safe place, away from the storm, a lightning crash struck right in front of him, and from the flash, a elderly sage appeared, his beautifully crafted golden staff in his left hand and his beard whipping with his flowing clothing in the wind. No. 3 retreated a few steps as Ramah stared judgmentally on the Black Waltzes.

By this point the wind and rain were heavy enough to cause the drops to feel like tiny shards of glass upon their clothes and skin. The wind was so strong that No. 1 was picked up and sent screaming into the wind, his cries swallowed by the howls of the storm. No. 3, meanwhile, was fighting against the wind, and his wings weren't making it a whole lot easier, either. Eventually he realized there were only two things to do: sit down and die like a dog, or fight back futily.

Lightning crackled in his hand and he moved to aim it at the spirit before him. He then stopped when he felt a huge amount of electricity just above him. His spell had caused him to become a lightning rod for just a moment, and the electricity from the clouds above bore down around him all at once. The light of judgment came down intensely, like a huge air-to-surface energy cannon. Ramah watched as the entire volcano rumbled against the strain of the lightning, but overall the grounding effects caused little problem with the Fire Crystal's sanctuary. No. 3, however…

Ramah turned from the charred remains, refusing even to look upon the ugly stain. With a stoic glance towards his storm, he flew back up into the sky where the clouds drew all around him. When he disappeared within the dark clouds the storm followed him, and all was peaceful once again.

Zidane slowed from his run when he suddenly realized that No. 1 was gone. He was just barely beginning to get used to the summoning that Garnet did, and when he finally realized what exactly happened, he turned and ran to the princess's side. "Dagger, are you alright?"

The princess was panting from exertion, but she was able to give Zidane a smile when he approached. "I'm fine, Zidane. But what about Steiner? Can you bring me to him?"

"Of course," Zidane said, grasping her arm and slinging it around his shoulders. "Amarant, can you take care of Vivi before he freezes?"

The Dark Warrior sneered. "I don't listen to monsters like you." Zidane rolled his eyes. "Besides, the child is fine. He is already melting the ice with his own fire."

The thief was amazed. Vivi had been crying and screaming in fear just a moment ago; now suddenly the black mage was calm and collected enough to care for himself. Zidane smiled to himself, knowing that Vivi was not the child that the Waltz claimed he was. There was no way that Vivi wasn't a Dark Warrior. He just wondered where he got all that courage from as he tenderly walked the princess over to the unmoving knight.

_You can do this, No. 777. There we go, just melt it like that, You got it._ Vivi felt that he was speaking to himself, but a little part of him wished it was still his brother, telling him what to do. Regardless, he worked hard to create a small flame from his palm that could melt the ice, but he made sure not to get it close to his clothes. Even though he was cold and wet, he couldn't stop here. He was so close to saving 776…

Finally, the black mage stood up and shook himself out, sneezing lightly. _Don't cry, 777. Just keep going. You can do it._ The black mage walked forward and stood next to Amarant as Zidane brought Garnet to Steiner, and Vivi grasped at his hat. "Are we all okay?" the black mage asked.

Amarant didn't reply; he simply stared at the prostrate form of the knight, and Vivi shivered in fear for the other Dark Warrior.

Zidane, meanwhile, helped Garnet stand by her retainer, and the thief cleared his throat. "Dagger, are you sure you can use any more of your energy? You really shouldn't push yourself too hard."

"Where's that ether?" Garnet asked.

"You know, you really shouldn't be sniffing this. Sure, it energizes you, but you could get addicted."

"Where is the ether." This time, it wasn't a question.

Zidane dug around in the pack and pulled out the bottle as Garnet dropped to her knees and carefully pulled Steiner until he was on his back. She grasped her mouth with her hands and choked back a sob. It was then that a bottle of horrible smelling something was nudged near her, and she grasped the vial and took a deep inhale of its vapors.

Garnet stood up, handing the bottle back to Zidane abruptly. She grasped her staff in both hands and raised it up to the sky. "Bring him back. Bring him back. Bring. Him. BACK."

Trumpets announced the arrival of the angels themselves, and the white magic did its work. The feathers that fell around the mortals was all that they could see of the otherworldly creatures, who came and did what was asked of them so quickly and silently that they were gone in a flash. All that was left was the feathers, the soft trumpets wafting on the breeze, and the sharp, sudden intake of air. Garnet gave a cry of delight and dropped back to the floor. "Steiner! Steiner!"

"Holy… is that the power of white magic?" Zidane wondered aloud.

"Why people denounce the power of necromages when white mages are nearly the same is beyond me," Amarant thought aloud with crossed arms.

Steiner was gasping for air, each breath laborious and painful, and Garnet worked meticulously with her spells to heal the damage that he had sustained. "Cura! Knit my knight back together! Steiner, hang on, please!"

Zidane knelt next to Garnet when her voice reached a fever pitch. He grasped her shoulder and squeezed. He knew any more would disrupt he concentration, but he felt her visibly relax when he stood next to her. This really was all that she needed to make the spells work.

The princess did not stop casting until she herself could not work anymore. The princess collapsed into the thief's arms, and Zidane looked at the knight. The blackened skin was still covering Steiner, but when Zidane reached out and flicked the ash aside, the skin was already healthy and pink again. White magic certainly was a miracle no matter what it came from, Light or Darkness.

The moment Zidane brought his hand away, however, Steiner's arm snapped up and grasped his wrist, and the thief began to sweat lightly. The knight groaned and slowly opened his eyes…

…and stared straight at the exhausted Garnet and Zidane, whose other arm was wrapped protectively around the princess.

Vivi grasped his hat and shoved it over his ears to mask the ear shattering roar that came from Steiner. Amarant, meanwhile, found the whole thing beneath him and moved to speak with the Fire Crystal. "Crystal," the man said curtly, standing before the floating red stone that held itself serenely over the edge of the peninsula. "I returned."

"So you have," the crystal chimed within the minds of everyone in the vicinity. Steiner even stopped strangling Zidane to look up at the red crystal as it floated serenely in the sky. "You also stopped those who attempted to use my power for their own gain."

"They did gain your power! They caused the eruption and killed everyone," Amarant growled, losing his temper for only a moment.

"That is an assumption you created. The eruption was not what they wanted. When the leader attempted to steal my power, he absorbed too much at once. The power we have gained thanks to the Dark Warriors was too much for him to handle, and the eruption was an unfortunate side effect that nearly swallowed the three as well."

"Unfortunate?" Amarant sneered. Garnet approached the last Dark Warrior, and he turned away. "They're dead. They're all dead." The princess frowned deeply, suddenly realizing just who his people were. The weight of all those people fell heavily on her shoulders; if only she had arrived sooner, Amarant wouldn't be the only one of his kind left alive. If only…

The crystal didn't seem to realize that Amarant did not like its choice of words. "Thankfully, you were not here when the eruption occurred. You left the sanctuary and were spared the wrath of all three of the Waltzes. On your own, you would have been overcome."

Steiner gasped aloud. "You *left* the sanctuary? But it was your job to protect it at all costs!"

"Rusty, can't you see? The crystal was right; he couldn't have fought all three of them at once," Zidane pointed out.

Amarant growled. "I don't need anyone to answer for me. I left because I found that protecting the crystal was beneath me. If it's so powerful, why won't it protect itself? It doesn't need me or you. It just chooses us because they're all too damn lazy to do the work themselves."

Steiner bristled. "How DARE you…!"

"My power is yours, Amarant," the crystal said, ignoring the spat that the warriors were having, as well as Amarant's rage against them, "The Fire Crystal's blessing is upon you. The four Dark Warriors will now venture to the Temple of Light and stop the Light from spreading into Gaia. Our darkness is strong once again, but if the Light manages to gain another foothold, we will all be swallowed in light."

Amarant snorted and turned around, stalking from the sanctuary. Garnet looked up at the crystal and pled with it. "Please, Crystal, we need some way to keep from fighting like this… Amarant is… uncontrollable. Can't we do something?"

"Fire is uncontrollable," the crystal replied matter-of-factly, "unless one finds a way to fight fire with fire."

Garnet opened her mouth, but Steiner placed a hand on her shoulder. "We need to go as soon as we can. Do you need help, my lady?"

Garnet looked up at Steiner, reaching up and flicking away some of the ash across his face. "I think you're the one who needs help more, Steiner."

"Okay, we all need help then. Let's get back to Erin and the Misty Maiden and head to the Temple of Light, okay?" Zidane asked, practically jogging in place at that moment.

Vivi jumped into the air in happiness. "We're going to stop the Light and save 776!"

Garnet turned to Vivi and nodded, finding it hard to keep sad with such infectious laughter. "Yes we are, Vivi. I suppose we'll have to hurry and catch up with Amarant then. Goodbye, Fire Crystal, and thank you!"

The crystal flared up brightly and then turned dark again in response, and soon, the Dark Warriors and their friend were off to meet with Erin and her crew once again. Finally, their journey was soon coming to an end.

To Be Continued...

* * *

Hey all! It's nearing the climactic battle between Light and Darkness! I hope you guys are having as much fun reading it as I had writing it.

About the Black Waltzes: in the original Final Fantasy 3, there was a thief who stole an item that could grant access to the Fire Crystal's sanctum, and to save some time and dungeon crawling, I just made it so they were trying to "steal" the power of the crystal. I'm pretty sure the thief was working for the Darkness in the original game, but here I wanted it to be a little more neutral or even "good guy" gone bad, to say that even the best of people can turn evil. I also wanted to use the Black Waltzes before it was too late. The three waltzes really did a good job at developing Vivi, Zidane, even Garnet and Steiner's character in the early game, and I wanted to give them a little time to shine here, even if they weren't as important here as in the original IX.

I'm usually not a fan of "lol Black Waltz 2 is a gurl" thing that writers of terribly bad porn love to do, but I did reveal that Black Mages were just a branching evolution of humanity, so I wanted to show that these people are really just different humans, gender differences and all. What about the wings? I just assume that the wings are gained after giving oneself over to the Darkness, so if Vivi actually accepted their offer and became one of them, he would grow a pair sometime as well.

Amarant is a little tricky here. I wanted to reveal the side of Amarant that is a loner, and loners don't like playing bodyguards to guys who should be strong enough to take care of themselves, at least without some sort of compensation. One could argue that he is getting additional strength from the crystal, but if you grew up with the powers like Amarant has, they become less and less like gifts and more and more like stuff he's always had. Regardless, a person who likes his freedom as much as Amarant does wouldn't like being tied to the crystal as much, and so the loss of his freedom is painful to him. This is something I want to bring out more, especially when all of this Light versus Dark thing is over and he doesn't really have a reason to be following these jerkwads.

Regardless, I think I've talked too much and probably about things that one might feel is insultingly easy to figure out. Just food for thought, I suppose. See you around next time!


	12. Chapter 12

Hey there everyone, we're getting to be near the end; I was going to have this combined with the end, but it started getting really long, and there are lots of questions you might have about some revelations that are coming up. Hopefully I won't turn a lot of you off with the inanities that are coming up. I'll explain everything in due time.

...Maybe.

Read On!

* * *

The Dark Warriors seemed overtly somber as they boarded the Misty Maiden and left Mt. Gulug for the Temple of Light. It seemed normal for Amarant to be this quiet, but Zidane was beginning to worry for Vivi and Garnet's sake. He was able to find the black mage sitting calmly in the crew's quarters, sitting on a hammock and twiddling his thumbs, and Vivi didn't even look up when Zidane plopped next to the black mage in the hammock. "Hey there, 777. How are you feeling?"

Vivi muttered something unintelligible, and then looked up at Zidane with his bright shining eyes. "We're really going to save the world, aren't we? And the Crystals will save No. 776 and I can go home with him, won't I? I guess…" Vivi turned away and went back to inspecting his gloves. "…I'm so anxious… I want it to happen now. I don't want to fight anyone. I just… want everything to go back to normal."

Zidane smirked. No matter how much Vivi matured, he still was only a child. "Don't worry Vivi, it will. Once we beat this light guy then we can…"

"…but what if it doesn't?" Vivi asked suddenly and forcefully, as if every fiber of his being were fighting the depression welling within him, "I don't want to fight anymore. No. 539 was my friend; we grew up together. I didn't want to hurt him. I didn't want to hurt anyone, and it kept me from casting anything and then I was useless. I didn't even get to fight. What if that happens again and we lose and…"

"Vivi, you can't spend your whole life worrying. We either do it, or we don't." Zidane watched as Vivi's eyes widened and he curled up further. "Vivi, whatever happens, I'll be there with you, and remember what I said? I wouldn't let what happened to 776 happen again. I'll make sure no one hurts you. We'll win. I promise. I just need some backup too. Can I count on you to back me and Dagger up?"

The black mage looked up one more time and nodded. "S…sure Zidane. I-I'll try."

"Thanks, Vivi." Zidane stood up and pointed upwards, to the ceiling. "I'm going to check up on Dagger up top. She seems as down as you. You'll be okay down here?"

Vivi nodded again, and Zidane smiled. "When all of this is done, we'll have to do some manly bonding later. Maybe we can have 776 join us, okay?"

"O-okay!" the black mage said, this time sounding a little happier. Zidane couldn't help but smile widely, and he felt much better about leaving Vivi to his thoughts as he left the quarters and trotted up to the deck where Garnet was staring thoughtfully out to sea.

She turned to Zidane as he approached, a smile gracing her lips. "Hello, Zidane."

"You okay?" he asked as he came upon her and leaned on the railing, "You look anxious."

"Do I?" she asked nonchalantly, fiddling with her thumbs. Zidane smiled lightly, his tail flicking back and forth, and the princess coughed a laugh. "I suppose I am. We're finally going to be done; we're going to save Gaia."

"Yeah, so why are you so anxious? Are you worried for Brahne's sake?"

Garnet shook her head, her eyes closed. "We'll make it in time. I trust Mother and General Falgabard to keep themselves alive until we arrive." She turned and looked at Zidane's sly smile, and she was taken aback slightly. "Wha- oh, anxious." She turned away and stared into the ocean, and she grasped the railing until her knuckles turned white. "I want everything to return to normal, I really do, I just… there's parts that I don't want to change. I mean…" She stopped.

Zidane raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "You mean?"

"…If things go back to the way they were… then we won't be able to see each other again." Garnet watched as Zidane's smile widened until it looked positively perverted. "I mean, and Vivi and the others too! Not just you, but especially you, I mean."

"Yeah, Rusty wouldn't approve of you hanging with me, even if he'd allow you to visit Vivi and No. 776 every now and then. But that doesn't need to worry you, Dagger." Garnet looked up from her thumb twiddling and stared into the squinty man's eyes. "If you don't want me to go, Dagger, I'll stay for as long as you want. You'll never lose me as long as you want me near you, to hell with what Rusty says."

Garnet nodded, but she looked down at her thumbs again, as if she wasn't sure what to say. "Zidane? …Thanks."

"Of course, Dagger. Regardless of your feelings, that's what I want to do anyway. I'd stay by you even if you didn't want me around." She turned to him with a confused look, and Zidane coughed. "Oh man, that sounds worse than it should, sorry, sorry. I mean, I just…"

"I understand, Zidane, and the sentiment is appreciated." She wasn't joking either; Garnet seemed happier than she had in a long while, and it brightened Zidane's already cheery demeanor just to see her shine so bright. He was happy to know that no matter what happened, the two would always stand together for as long as they could.

* * *

The Temple of Light stood ominously in the distance, and Garnet felt a sense of foreboding. In the world of Darkness, the Temple of Light held the most amount of light in the world, as it seeped through the cleft of dimensions between the world of Darkness and world of Light, and with the doorway between Gaia and Terra beginning to open, the pressure of the Light felt overpowering, and Garnet wondered if this was what it felt like to be crushed.

Erin brought the Misty Maiden ashore, and the Dark Warriors soon stood on the sole island in the middle of the world. Erin leaned against the railing and shook her head. "This is it then, isn't it? If you don't do this properly, we're all going to die."

"Thanks for reminding some of us of the pressure, Erin," Garnet said with a smile, giving the trembling Vivi a half hug to comfort him.

"Don't worry, Erin," Zidane said, "We're going to save the world and be back before you know it. We'll see you in a bit!"

"Good luck then, warriors," Erin said, giving the five a salute. Zidane winked in return and started off with Garnet hot on his heels.

The Dark Warriors began their trek into the temple, which seemed to be worse for wear. "How strange," Garnet murmured to herself as they passed by the charred remains of a humanoid creature, "It looks like there was a battle here."

"There was, when you were but a child, Ma'am," Steiner said matter-of-factly, "If you recall, the last time creatures of light stepped through was about sixteen years ago. Although, I suppose you shouldn't remember that except in your history books."

Zidane cocked his head to the side. "Huh, is that so? I never really learned much aside from Tantalus' thieving arts, but knowing about… things can…" the betailed young man stopped and looked up at something that was once hung on the wall but was now crumpled on the floor. Garnet stood next to Zidane as he picked up the slashed banner and inspected it curiously. With a grunt, he jumped up and hung it on a small outcropping so he could look at it better. "What the…"

"It's a woman," Vivi said as he stared at the beautiful woman with dark brown hair tied into a braid, dressed in a pink dress and red outer jacket. She smiled with such brightness that Zidane felt something stir deep within him, and the staff she held had a strange symbol on it that the young man felt he knew from somewhere. "She's very pretty."

"This is a war banner," Steiner said upon further inspection, "They're used to inspire troops into battle. I was not here during the battle sixteen years previously, but General Falgabard mentioned that the Light's leader was a succubus white mage of unparalleled beauty. There was even mention of a few Dark Knights that traitorously switched sides during the battle to protect the demon witch."

The group stared silently at the beautiful woman, but Garnet interrupted everything when she dropped to the floor to inspect something upon it. "Zidane, look. There's a book on the ground that was under the banner. What do you think it is?"

The thief picked the book up and opened it, scanning the first few pages. "Huh," he said lightly, "It's a diary, probably from the people of Terra. Let's see…"

"_Aria __begged __me __not __to __go __to __Gaia. __She __said __that __nothing __was __worth __going __to__ the __demon __infested __world, __but __I__ had __to __go. __I __had __to __see __if __he __was __there. __Aria__'__s __little __boy __and __my __beloved __nephew, __Jidan, __was __only __two __when __he __was __kidnapped __and__ whisked __away __from __home, __and __my __Soldier __friends __and __I __all __tried __desperately __to__ find __him. __But __he __simply __isn__'__t __in __Terra; __I__ couldn__'__t __find__ him __anywhere. __The__ boy __was __chosen __by __the __Crystal, __but __I __can __only __imagine __what __anyone __would__ gain __by __taking __Jidan __to__ Gaia, __and __a__ pit __forms__ in__ my __stomach __when __I __think __that __perhaps __they __meant __to __kill __him._

"_I __have __set __up __a __forward __camp __here __in __this __temple __the __moment __we__ stepped __through __the __portal __into __Gaia. __Zack __has __accompanied __me __despite __my__ protests __and__ he__ ordered__ his__ good__ friend__ to__ stay__ behind__ in __Lindblum. __I__ just__ pray__ that__ we__ can__ all__ return__ home__ soon __once __we__ find__ Jidan._

_"Gaians have arrived; it appears they have been here before. They look official, like the Lindblum Soldiers back on Terra. I asked them if they knew of Jidan's whereabouts, and they looked disturbed that there could be Terrans that have left the temple. I fear for Jidan's safety, and they promise that as long as we stay in the temple and do not enter their dark infested world, that they would take no actions against us while they search for my nephew. I thank the Bright and the Shining Crystals for their guidance!  
_

_"Zack seems anxious and impatient, and I myself am worried. It has been a month since we have arrived in Gaia, and our supplies are running low as we sit in the temple. It is nice to speak to the Alexandrian dark knights though. I am amazed at how kind a person from Gaia can be. I suppose we really are all human deep down and Darkness can be just as kind as Light. Zack tells me to avoid them, but I have already converted a few of the knights. They are asking me to take them home to Terra. Praise the Shining Crystals!_

_"The general, Falgabard, is angry with me for converting his men, but he is more livid that his own men are following me instead of him. He is ordering me to return them to his ranks so he can take them back to Alexandria and summarily execute them. I can't let that happen; they did nothing wrong. Zack stands by my side as the general demands his people one last time. I will not let any innocent man be killed, and I deny him one last time._

_"Crystals protect us, the temple is under siege._

_"There are only a handful of us left alive. All of the converted dark knights fell first; their powers sacrifice their own life for more strength. It is a horrible, barbaric practice, and I cannot believe that such kind people could wield such evil power. Sister Aria, I cannot open the portal and return home, and I cannot find Jidan._

_"Sister Aria, we are going to die._

_"Zack has fallen. The monster with the sword as long as he has cut down so many already and Zack is no different. I could not stop him; I could not protect my people nor my beloved. Shining Crystals, forgive me. I hear the screams of the mage knight burning my friends alive, and I cannot do anything to stop it._

_"Sister Aria, I love you so much._

_"Sister Aria, give my love to Garland, to Kuja and Mikoto. Give my love to Cloud and warn him of the dangers of the white haired demon. I know his kind. The moment he cuts me down, he will travel through the portal to Terra. I can't let that happen. I am Aerith, Premier of the Ancients, Sister to Priestess Aria, and protector of the Crystal of Wind. I will not let them through while I yet live._

_"I hear him coming. I have sealed the door, but nothing stops the demon mage knight. He will be here soon and I will be run through. In these final hours, all I can think of is you, dear sister. The door is gone, and I will fight. Goodbye, dear sister, goodbye."_

Zidane stared at the diary with white knuckles, and Garnet covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh, oh no. Oh no, is that… what General Falgabard did…?"

Steiner clanked behind them. "A necessary precaution for a…"

"NO." Zidane turned around and glared at the knight. "No, screw you and your precautions! You keep talking about all this stuff being necessary, but look at what happened! These innocent people were killed! No wonder the Terrans think we're monsters!"

"You watch your tongue, beast," Amarant said, "I care little for what you think and I will see you dead if you spew more of your propaganda."

"Oh Crystals, I never knew this had happened. I would never have allowed it to happen, I would have… I…," Garnet cut herself off and lowered her head, her eyes wide, "I worry most for what this woman said though. The mage knight…"

"Sephiroth was a mercenary mage knight who traveled through the portal to Terra in retaliation to Terra's attack on Gaia," Steiner said as Zidane twitched in annoyance ("there was no 'attack'!" the monkey man hissed under his breath.), "He said he would return in two months' time and never did."

Garnet frowned and crossed her arms. "He must have fought those Soldiers that the diary talked about. Do you think he was killed?"

"Undoubtedly. Let us at least hope that he took them down with him though," Amarant said quickly. "Come, we've wasted enough time already. Regardless of whether or not the people here were innocent, the fact remains that this enemy here isn't. We need to finish this now."

Zidane sighed and tucked the diary away into his pack. "You're right. We can talk about this after Gaia is saved. You ready, Dagger?"

"As I'll ever be, Zidane," Garnet replied. She turned to the others and smiled. "Let's save Gaia, everyone; let's do it together!" The five continued onward, spurred both by desire to change the world and the desire to continue its traditions, but neither realized that the slashes across the banner hid the beautiful brown tail that Aerith, former Premier of the Ancients, once possessed.

To Be Continued...

So yeah, why the hell is Aerith/s/th/s/th/s/th/sss being mentioned? Well, if anyone has played FF3 recalls, there are people in a village who are the descendants of the Ancients, who according to the village played a major role in the battle of the Dark Warriors 1000 years before the events of FF3. So yes, the Ancients were actually referred in FF3 first, before Aerith was made. Also Aria is Aerith's sister because they have the exact same role in both Final Fantasies. Aria needs to be saved, joins you, helps you get to a location that you need to get to, and then promptly gets killed while protecting you. Aerith needs to be saved, joins you, helps you get to a location you need to get to, and then promptly gets killed while protecting the planet. The point here is that I was trying to be funny and she won't be mentioned again aside from "hey remember that lady I'm related to who got brutally murdered? Fun times."

Also Sephiroth in this version is a Mage Knight (a Red Mage, if you will) who went to Terra to look for his missing mother, found out that some creepo (Hojo) experimented on her and killed her, went crazy as all get out, and murdered the entire village where Cloud grew up. Cloud and a small group of Lindblum Soldiers killed him dead, and Cloud settled down to try and rebuild his village and he disappeared from the public eye. He will never be mentioned in the story, not even this much here, so don't bother asking.

I do realize I just made the entire story ten times more convoluted just so I could make a joke about "lol ancients in FF3 and FF7" but I always enjoyed the various ways the other FFs get cameoed in various games (Remember Garnet's birth name? Yeah, like that.) so I went with it. Hopefully it isn't too weird or crazy or whatever.

Next up, the END. Heck yes!


	13. Chapter 13

Alright everyone! Here is the ending! The final battle! I hope you guys enjoy it and continue to support my stories as they appear!

Have a good day everyone, and...

Read on!

* * *

Meanwhile, on the roof of the temple, a silver haired man stared at the ships that sat anchored near the island. They had not come ashore just yet, and the man stroked his chin as he thought of the reasons why. "They might be preparing to simply bombard the temple and get it all over with, or perhaps they are assuming that there is a larger force that they will need to repel." The man laughed into his hand as his silvery tail flicked back and forth. "Fine then, if they will not bring the fight to me, I suppose I shall have to give it to them." The man lifted his hand to the sky and began to pray…

"Lord Kuja!"  
"Lord Kuja!"

Kuja stopped his casting and whirled around, glaring in minor annoyance at the interruption. "What is it?" he demanded of the jesters.

"Another boat has weighed anchor."  
"They have arrived, the Dark Warriors!"

Kuja stared down at them, and a smile flitted across his face. "Is that so? Very well then. I will show them the reason they cannot win." He turned and looked down at the ships, and his smile widened as a beautiful thought struck him. "And I know just the people who will act as participants in my play…"

He raised his hands up to the sky and began to pray once again. "Shining Crystals of Wind, Water, Fire and Earth. Heed my call."

* * *

In Mount Gulug, the Crystal of Fire flared with light against its will.

* * *

Kuja closed his eyes and cocked his head to the side, as if reveling in the brightness that enveloped him. "The Darkness is waning."

* * *

Under the rock and dirt, the Dark Elf priestesses watched in horror as the Crystal of Earth began to dully gather light until the makeshift temple caused the dim tunnels to look as bright as day.

* * *

The silver haired man opened his eyes and cackled at the energy that he felt from the four Light Crystals. "Shatter the seal that binds our friend and forces him into slumber."

* * *

Deep in the Dying Forest, past the grotesque looking humanoid statue of a powerful black mage, the Crystal of Wind began to brighten, and the wind keened a wail that caused animals to flee in horror.

* * *

Kuja spread his legs and sent the energy out to break the seal that was placed all those years before. "Rise and awaken, Guardian of Light! Alexander, destroy those who enslaved you so long ago!"

* * *

At Alexandria castle, something stirred. The people in the castle cried out and the Pluto Knights worked desperately to lead the workers out in a calm and orderly fashion. The Water Crystal gurgled in a vain attempt to hold what little darkness it had, but soon it shone as bright as the sun, until the seal that it held over the castle shattered.

Alexander rumbled, finally awake after one thousand years of slumber.

* * *

Zidane whirled around as Amarant stumbled for a moment, but held his ground. "Amarant, are you okay?"

"Monster, don't touch me," the man growled, turning away from the man with the tail and taking a deep breath. "I'm fine, we have to hurry."

It was then that Steiner collapsed against the wall, and everyone turned to him with worry. "Steiner, what's wrong? What's going on?" the princess asked, looking positively spooked.

"Ma'am, please, don't worry for my sake, it's just that… something is…"

The next to fall was Vivi. The little black mage slumped on the floor and groaned. "I'm so tired. The wind… it's crying…"

Zidane looked around with a worried look, and then he turned to Garnet. "It's the crystals," he said, "Dagger, I…" He gasped when the princess closed her eyes and fell forward, and the man rushed forward to catch her. "Dagger, get a hold of yourself! Come on, Dagger, I can't… we can't do this without you."

"Zidane, I feel it, it's the crystals. They gave us so much power that if they lose it, we…" Garnet coughed and slumped into the thief's arms. Her next words were filled with agonizing pain, and as she spoke, tears came to her eyes. "Zidane, the Water Crystal is crying to me. The seal is broken; Alexander is free."

As if on cue, the earth began to shake, and the five looked up. Garnet pointed towards a doorway that had its windows shattered. "There, that leads out to a balcony. Let's see what's going on." Zidane picked the small black mage up and nodded; the four moved outside to see just what was happening.

In a moment the five were outside, Vivi in Zidane's arms, and Alexandria's princess peeked over the railing and gasped in awe at her peoples' royal navy. "Erin was amazing to have avoided Mother's ships. I hope she's okay."

"General Falgabard must have brought them here before we arrived, but they haven't come ashore," Steiner said, frowning in disdain, "What is going on? What are they waiting for?"

"They must have realized that they have no power to fight those who have been chosen by the Light Crystals. We are the ones chosen to fight the Light," Amarant said, "Regardless, we…"

The planet rumbled again, and Steiner reached out to take Garnet's shoulder and keep the princess from falling. The shaking was so bad that Vivi looked up and pointed at the shadow overhead. "E-everyone… everyone, look!"

It took only a moment of dread filled horror for the five to realize just how large both the island and the castle were. Garnet's eyes widened the moment the humongous Eidolon Alexander touched down. She suddenly understood that his first resting spot all those years ago was on that very island. The castle creature rumbled and steam wafted from various orifices of the living stone. "Darkened Crystals, how could this be…?"

"That's a Summoned Monster of Light!" Zidane shouted, feeling even his own knees shake of their own accord.

"We can't do this; we can't fight that!" Amarant growled. He turned and glared at the princess with a snarl. "You're the only one who can counter such a fiend, woman. You're the summoner, you have to summon something that can kill it."

"Who can kill Alexander!" Garnet cried, trying to think desperately. "The last time Alexander attacked Gaia, it took many sages simply to seal away his power!"

"Dagger!" Zidane screamed, pointing upwards at the huge creature as its magnificent wings spread over the ocean with a huge gust of wind, "It's doing something! It's charging something up!"

"Do something, Dagger! Please!" Vivi whined, squirming in Zidane's grasp.

Steiner stared up at the living castle, the place where they had lived out their lives, uncaring of the creature's life. It didn't matter if they had somehow wronged this creature; it was going to kill them all if they didn't do something, but there was little they could do besides summon a creature worthy of combating it. What would General Falgabard do…?

That was it! "Princess!" Steiner shouted, turning around to face the woman, "He's here! By the Crystals, he's HERE!"

"Steiner, what are you talking about? Who is…?" The princess stopped when she realized just what Steiner was talking about. Oh, praise the Crystals, Steiner was right! He was sleeping here to watch over the gate. Something must have happened to him to make their enemies come through the portal between Gaia and Terra. Perhaps they sealed him away as well? If that was so, all she had to do was call and coax him out. She just had to ask him to help… She raised her staff and closed her eyes, and began to call out to the darkness. "Oh Lord of Shadows, Creator of the Dark Sword, Teacher of the Dark Knights. Please, oh please, help us!"

"_Are __you__ sure __you__ wish__ my__ aid?__"_ The voice tickled somewhere in her mind. It was similar to the Crystals, but something about this was darker, deeper, and more masculine than the tinkling sounds of the Crystals, which seemed more like wind chimes than creatures.

"Please! Save us!"

"_Dearest Daughter of the Water, I shall do what I can."_

"Come forth, Darkest of Knights! Odin, Slayer of Light!"

* * *

Alexander's wings shone ominously in the night sky, and the small, rather useless looking ships wafted near the shore of the island where the giant castle creature stood. A bright light shined all around, but before it could do anything, the temple suddenly filled with a dark, fiery presence. A dark aura wafted through the halls of the temple and the clouds came together to create a beautiful dark battlefield, with Alexander shining as a beacon of evil brightness. From the foggy darkness, a ghostly apparition slowly rose through the stonework, and suddenly Odin, riding his beautiful six legged mount, Sleipnir, was before Alexander, sword in one hand and spear in other. Sleipnir pawed the air and tossed his head back as the First Dark Knight stared the angelic castle down. "Alexander, leave." It was the only warning Odin offered his enemy. It went unheeded.

Odin watched rather emotionlessly as Alexander let loose a huge, powerful blast that caused all of Gaia to shudder, and Odin barely cocked his head to make sure that his summoner was unharmed. Alexander had instead attacked the Lindblum fleet, decimating it with a minor stroke. He could hear his summoner screaming in dismay and the others cried out, but he cared little for their anguish. As long as his summoner and her entourage were alright, Odin could not flinch. He had a job to do.

"So be it," the dark knight muttered, sheathing his sword. After hefting up Gungnir in his right hand, he covered his face with his visor and urged Sleipnir onward. The mystical horse reared and charged. Alexander let a few jets of steam out of its various orifices, and suddenly there was a bright flash of light.

Garnet watched in horror as a huge beam of light pierced the darkness, deeper and more powerful than even Gungnir, and tore through the most powerful of the Dark Knights, and her words died when she watched the huge beam continue onward; it was adjusted just right, so the beam traveled at an angle and hit her mother's fleet.

The ships were vaporized in but a second, causing everyone to stare in disbelief at the ocean and the wreckage it now contained. Alexander wrapped itself in its own wings and slowly, very slowly, disappeared back to its home after a thousand years of slumber.

Garnet continued to stare, unbelieving, at the decimated ships, and suddenly she felt herself moving. The balcony had a grand staircase that led to the first floor, and even though many years of disrepair had left the stairs little more than rubble, she felt herself flying down the case to the ground. There were many times that she nearly fell over herself as she ran, but she couldn't stop; "Mother, Mother please," she begged, "Please be okay. General Falgabard must have protected you. Mother, I can't… Mother…" She barely noticed the clanking at her side, although she was not surprised by it. How could this be happening? What did she do to deserve this? After all of her desire and hope that somehow they could have avoided all of this fighting, all of this death and dreadfulness…

She arrived at the shore of the island and stared at the wreckage; her eyes were pouring tears, but she let out not a sob. She heard Steiner stop at her side, and she continued to stare off into the ocean. "…Were you right, Steiner…?" she asked herself rather than her retainer, "Was the murder of all of those Terrans necessary to keep this from happening? Is it really impossible for Terrans and Gaians to live in peace?"

"To be honest, Princess…" Steiner replied, his face a mask of mute sorrow, "This devastation makes me want to slaughter every Light monster that lives in that hated world. But then I wonder if us killing them is the reason they kill us."

Garnet grabbed at her cheeks and tried desperately to wipe the tears away, but each one was replaced by more and more. Her tears would not stop falling. "I want this to stop. I want to… I don't… know what to do anymore, I…!"

There was a sudden sound, like Vivi screaming, and both she and Steiner turned to see what was going on. They couldn't believe just what they saw. There was a strange, silver haired man that floated in front of the balcony, and what he possessed caused a lump to appear in Garnet's throat. The evil, hated light creature had a shining platinum colored furry tail that swished back and forth…

Garnet felt herself running again, shouting for Zidane and praying what she saw was a mistake.

* * *

Zidane couldn't believe what he had seen. Alexander's sudden beam of light disintegrated the entire Alexandrian fleet as well as crushed Odin, and the summoned monster disappeared as if had little care for the destruction he had caused. His eyes went to Garnet, who stared at the water, her hands balled into fists and shaking. The betailed man placed Vivi on the floor, but before he could reach out to her, she was suddenly running. The thief was shoved aside by Steiner, who rushed after his princess while calling out to her. Zidane wanted so much to follow, but something told him that this was something that they needed to see and go through together. He lived in Alexandria all his life and held nothing but mild disdain for the royal family up until he met Garnet and Steiner, and he felt nothing but worry for the princess rather than the sadness of losing so many comrades in arms.

He watched as they rushed down to the beach, but a shout caused him to snap out of his thoughts. "Zidane! Zidane, up there! He's coming!" The thief turned and looked up at where Vivi was pointing, and the three remaining men watched as a magician slowly walked down what appeared to be an invisible stairway, slowly coming downwards until he was facing the men. He smiled wide and Zidane's voice caught in his throat when he saw a furry, silvery tail sweep back and forth. "Good day, my friends. How fares you this day?"

"It's him! It's the one from my dream!" Vivi screamed, hiding behind Zidane as the thief pulled out his daggers. "He wanted to kill me!"

Zidane glared at the silvery flamboyant man, daggers in hand, and looked at Amarant out of the corner of his eye. Something told him that this magician wasn't someone they could just leap up and attack; they'd have to wait for an opening, and so Zidane spoke, "Who are you, and why are you attacking Gaia like this?"

"Who am I? Who am I?" the magician crowed, placing his hand on his forehead and throwing his head back in faux sadness, "My heart, it is slain. How could you forget me? Does my tail say nothing of my identity? Does your blood not yearn for its people?

"Do you remember nothing of your elder brother, Little Brother Jidan? It's me, Big Brother Kuja!"

There was silence for a moment, and sudden realization washed over Zidane, as cold as ice. How stupid he was not to notice it before! Everything, everything was making sense! The monkey man shook his head, refusing to let the enemy faze him. "I don't… I don't care who you are, you're destroying Gaia; you're destroying innocent lives! Why the hell would you do something like that? What are you trying to accomplish!"

"You needn't put on the charade anymore, Jidan, the cat, as they say, is out of the bag," Kuja said, a smile prominent on his face, "You can give it up and come back now. We'll kill the Dark Warriors and go home, alright?"

"What are you talking about? I haven't even met you until today! I don't…" but Zidane stopped when he felt Vivi detach himself from behind the monkey man and instead retreat to Amarant's side. The monk, meanwhile, took a step back, keeping both Kuja and Zidane at arm's length so he could kill them if either made a move. "Amarant, Vivi, you don't honestly believe this guy? I- I've…"

"You stink of the Light and you have the gall to say that you have never seen the man who knows your real name?" Amarant spat.

"What are you talking about, my real name? I've been Zidane as long as I can remember!"

"I should have known it was you all along, the one in that diary," Amarant said, ignoring Zidane's cries, "I'll kill you, just like you killed so many others."

Vivi quivered behind Amarant, too afraid to come forward. "It's not true, is it, Zidane? You're not really a bad person. You didn't… you…" Vivi's shining eyes grew wide, and the boy trembled not in fear, but in rage. "No… I knew it. You did it! You killed No. 776!"

Zidane shook his head and tried to reason with his friend. "Vivi, I swear, I didn't mean to let him get petrified! No. 776 was like a brother to me! I would never…"

"Don't you EVER speak his name!" Vivi screamed, silencing Zidane with a shout that the black mage had never produced before, "You aren't worthy of speaking his name! You aren't worthy of even KNOWING him! You killed him! You killed No. 776! My only brother… you, you… AUUUUUUUUUGH!" Zidane felt the child's sudden dark energy rise exponentially, and the betailed man saw Vivi change, taking on a dark essence that he knew in his gut was a Trance. The boy seemed taller, somehow, and his floppy hat stood straight up and pointed, and surrounding him was fire, ice and lightning. "You monster… I'll kill you! I'll avenge No. 776's death! I'll KILL YOU!"

Zidane dove off of the balcony just as the mage attacked with a gigantic fireball, the likes of which Zidane would equate with No. 776's power, not little Vivi's. He rolled away into the temple and jumped up quickly, dusting himself off and keeping the fire off of his tail.

"Well well," Kuja said, suddenly behind Zidane. The young man jumped. "It looks like I was correct. The Dark Monsters truly are horrific, attacking people at the drop of a hat."

"You have no right to say anything," Zidane said, turning on his heel and rushing away from Vivi as the black mage began his magical rampage, "You were the one who set him off."

"By saying what? The truth?" Kuja shook his head as he floated alongside Zidane with a laugh. "Dear Jidan, we have been searching everywhere for you; sixteen years have passed since your mother saw you last. Can you imagine how mortified you would be if your beloved, perfect son were gone for that long without any knowledge of whether or not he was dead?"

Zidane rounded a corner and stopped, turning to Kuja with a blink. "I… I have a mother?" he asked.

"As well as Father, and our little sister, Mikoto. Don't tell me you forgot them too!"

By the crystals, it was just as the diary that Zidane picked up said. _"__Sister__ Aria,__ give__ my__ love__ to__ Garland,__ to__ Kuja__ and__ Mikoto.__"_ So that meant that Aerith was Aria's sister. Was Aria his mother? Was Aerith his aunt? She was a premier of the Ancients... "Kuja, are we Ancients…?"

There was a sudden blast right next to them, and he heard Vivi's rage filled scream. Zidane shook his head and glared at Kuja as he continued running from the ensuing chaos. "It doesn't matter who I was. I'm a Gaian now, and you're ruining it! Go back to Terra and tell my stupid family to leave me the hell alone!"

"I was only trying to help, Little Brother," Kuja said, "They would have figured it out anyway, and if I weren't here to protect you and bring you to a place where you would have sanctuary, you would have been lynched on the spot."

"That's not true! Dagger would never let that happen!"

"Please, Jidan," Kuja said as the two retreated into a larger room and the magician closed and locked the door. "If you had not accompanied your fair princess up until this moment, do you really think she would bear the same feelings she has for you now? She might feel guilty about not stopping your death, but only after the fact. You are nothing here in Gaia. Back on Terra, you are chosen of the Crystal of Wind." Kuja stared at Zidane, and the little brother felt his tail droop when the ramifications of just who he was fell over him like a heavy weight. "Zidane, you are the leader of the Warriors of Light."

Zidane took a deep breath and pulled away from his brother's piercing stare. He clutched his head in his hand and shook it with a frustrated growl. "That can't be… that can't be true! I'm… I've been living here my whole life! My name's Zidane, I'm a Gaian, and I…"

The two were interrupted when a blast nearly burst the door down, and Vivi's labored breaths could be heard on the other side. He heard another sound, however. Garnet was there, shouting for Vivi to calm himself. "Vivi, Vivi please, tell me what's going on. What's wrong, Vivi?"

"We haven't much time," Kuja said, "Zorn, Thorn!" Zidane turned around and stared in disbelief as those same jesters from Castle Alexandria rushed into the room from a different venue. "We are leaving," the magician said, "Open the portal, we're going back to Terra."

"Like hell I will!" Zidane shouted.

Kuja, by this point, was beginning to look exasperated. "Jidan, there really is no time to argue. I promised Mother I'd bring you back, and so I'm bringing you back whether you want it or not," he said emotionlessly, "Quickly, we must get through the portal before the door opens." The magician strode to Zorn and Thorn's side and stood before a magnificent giant mirror. With the proper magic, it would open a portal between the worlds of Light and Dark. If Zidane didn't act fast, then… he watched as Kuja focused on opening the portal, and he rushed to the door as silently as he could. His elder brother only just noticed Zidane's movement when the door was unlocked and opened wide.

"Zidane!" Garnet cried, rushing to his side and holding her staff up to protect him from Kuja, "What's going on? Is it true? Have you found your people?"

"Dagger?" Zidane murmured, surprised at her lack of anger. "You know?"

"Of course I do, Amarant told Steiner and me everything; it doesn't change a thing," Garnet replied, "You're my friend and a Gaian, no matter what this person says, and I won't let him take you."

"Well said, Princess," Steiner said, standing back to back with Zidane, a magically sleeping Vivi nestled nicely in one arm and staring down a growling Amarant with broadsword in hand, "If the princess wishes to protect you, then I must protect her as well."

"Out of the way, you spineless oaf," Amarant hissed, "Do you not see that he is tainted with the Light? He would kill us all if he had the chance."

Steiner snorted in disgust at the other Dark Warrior's words. "He's had such a chance many a time; he took none of them, and a knight protects and fights alongside his comrades in arms. Stand down, Amarant, and we shall unite against the true foe before us."

"Dagger, Steiner…" Zidane said in disbelief. He really wasn't that surprised about Garnet sticking up for him, but Steiner's desire to stay by his side was nothing short of amazing, and the thief was moved beyond anything he had ever felt before. He turned and glared at Kuja. "You got that, asshole? You just open that portal and go back to where you came from now!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Jidan, there is no point in hiding your true self now," Kuja replied, ever the slippery serpent even now, "Gaia is dying and your job is done; let's just go home and be done with it."

"You can't get me to distrust Zidane's intentions, Terran. I trust him with my life, like any other Dark Warrior," Garnet spoke up, "Zidane is an idiot, but he's not malicious."

Steiner barked a laugh as Zidane flinched visibly. "Well struck, Princess!"

"Master Kuja! Open, the portal is!"  
"Master Kuja! The portal is open!"

"Traitorous scum!" Steiner shouted behind him, striking out whenever Amarant got too close, "How dare you move against Alexandria, nay, all of Gaia!"

"Sir Steiner does not understand."  
"Understand, he does not."

"When the moon shifts its phases…"  
"Follow it, we do!"

The twins turned to Kuja as the magician checked the portal and nodded. He turned to the group and placed his hand on his hip with a shake of his head. "Very well then, I suppose there is nothing more we can do. If you will not give Jidan to me, then I will have to kill you all. Don't even bother fighting back; without all four of the Dark Warriors working in unison, there is no way to fight me; I have all four of the Light Crystals helping me bring Jidan back, so there is no way you can defeat me."

Zidane growled to himself and pulled out his daggers. "They aren't alone, Kuja! If I'm this Light Warrior, I'll just take the light from you instead! We'll find a way to beat you, if a fight's what you want."

"And if I am killed trying to bring you to your rightful home, then you will only prove how brutal you Gaians are," Kuja said, a sickening smile spreading across his face as Garnet stared at him, "Think now. No one on Terra will even think for a moment that you were defending yourself from an attack. No, you are all monsters who attacked and killed me because violence is all you know. Until Jidan is returned, there will be no peace in Gaia, and the Light will always bear down upon this planet until it withers and dies from exposure. Jidan, this is your last chance. Come home with me, or this world will never be free from misery."

Zidane glared at Kuja and turned to Garnet. "I don't want to go, Dagger, I don't."

"Neither do I want you to leave, Zidane. We never would have gotten this far without you, and I couldn't bear to let you go without…"

The two were interrupted when they heard Steiner and Amarant shouting at each other, and soon the two were engaged in battle, Vivi having been discarded by the wayside so Steiner could fight with two hands. Zidane stared at the sleeping child, who had since returned to normal. However, he would never stay that way, especially now that the black mage knew his true identity. Amarant would never let Zidane survive after all of this, even if they somehow managed to join forces to defeat Kuja and the twins. Zidane turned and looked back at Garnet, and he dropped his dagger and grasped her hand. "Dagger, listen to me."

Garnet shook her head forcefully. "Zidane, don't say it, please."

"Kuja's a bastard, but he's right. If other Gaians knew who I was, they would want me dead. I'm not… I'm not a Gaian, and I never will be. Look at me, Dagger, don't look away. See my eyes? My tail? I'm a Terran, and if I can protect and save Gaia by giving up the name 'Gaian'… if I can save you…

"Then I'd do it and do it a hundred times more."

"Zidane, don't go! Please don't, Zidane…!"

"Amarant! Steiner! Listen to me!" Zidane shouted, dropping his other dagger and sliding his hand from the princess's, "I'm getting out of here! I'm leaving Gaia and letting you guys take care of things while I'm gone! I'm sorry I caused everyone trouble! I'm sorry this happened because of me!"

"Monster! I won't let you escape!" Amarant growled.

"Zidane, I will hold him off as long as I can!" Steiner shouted behind him, "Go now and know that you were a fantastic comrade!"

"Zidane, please don't go!" Garnet cried. She moved to rush towards Zidane but Kuja was there, taking his little brother's shoulder and turning him away from her.

"Princess, you should be glad Alexander spared your life. Perhaps he realized there was some good in you that could be brought out in some way. Don't throw your life away now."

"You shut the hell up," Zidane hissed, shoving on Kuja as Zorn and Thorn began hopping through the portal and disappearing one by one. The thief turned around and smiled at Garnet in a way that seemed apologetic. "I'm going now, Dagger. Maybe we'll see each other again. I'll try and find a way that we can make a treaty, alright?"

Garnet's eyes were filling with tears, but none fell down her cheeks. "Zidane… I… I want to see you again. Please come back; we can make a treaty between Gaia and Terra, and we can see a time when Gaians and Terrans can live together in harmony."

"I will fight to make that dream a reality, as well," Zidane said, taking her hand and laying a kiss upon its back. He then released her, took one last look at her plaintive face, and he turned to Kuja. "You promise you won't hurt Gaia now that I'm coming home?"

"Of course," the magician said, turning to Garnet with a devilishly handsome smile, "I couldn't bear to hurt such a charmingly beautiful canary such as this princess, regardless."

Zidane spat on the floor in disgust, took one last look at the princess, and jumped through the portal. Garnet gave a desperate wail and Amarant roared in anger. Steiner turned after hearing Garnet's cry, and the three glared at Kuja, who shrugged. "I guess this is goodbye then, my friends."

"Just go," Garnet said, grasping her upper arms and turning away, "I don't ever want to see you again. You killed Mother, and General Falgabard, and my people. You slaughtered millions to bring Zidane back." She still couldn't tell if this was worth it. Somewhere deep inside, she wished for a moment that Kuja had never existed and that there was no reason for Zidane to go to Terra. Her mother was dead, her kingdom was most likely in shambles after what happened with Alexander, and the one person who could always make her laugh, forgetting for even a moment about the terrible things that were going on, was leaving her, and there was no promise that he would ever return. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if there was a way she could get revenge on the man who ruined her life. "Killing you wouldn't bring them back, anyway…" she said lowly enough that he couldn't hear it.

"Very well then," Kuja said, looking up at Steiner and Amarant, and then turning back to Garnet. "By the by, Princess. I just thought you would want to know that when I promised not to hurt Gaia, I didn't promise I wouldn't let it go without destroying any threat you might pose to Terra."

"WHAT!" Steiner roared from a way away. He was distracted from Amarant and the monk took that moment to slam the knight into the wall and charge forward. Garnet looked up quizzically at Kuja when he raised his hand and flicked a spell in Amarant's direction. The Fire Warrior Stopped in his tracks, and the princess gasped and pled with Kuja as he turned to the portal mirror.

"You wouldn't…" she murmured, looking at the dazed Steiner out of the corner of her eye. She looked back at Kuja and fought to drop to her knees in desperation. "No… you wouldn't! Don't, please, I-"

"Don't blame me, blame your ancestors for having the gall to live in this horrible world," Kuja said nonchalantly as he walked through the portal and snapped his fingers.

* * *

Terra's Crystals of Light roared and strained when they heard Kuja's plea. In the Wind Shrine, a young, teenage Ancient stared at the crystal, and her tail swished back and forth in fear. One of the maidens turned to the young woman with a cry. "Mikoto, go get your father! Garland's needed…!"

Mikoto nodded and turned, but just as she began to sprint out, a huge quake happened that caused her to fall over with a cry, and the Ancient maidens cried out to the Wind Crystal to protect Terra from the planet's wrath.

* * *

Burmecia fared little better; the ratlike people rushed up and down the tunnels that they had formed around the Fire Crystal, for when the earthquake happened, many tunnels were destroyed and caved in. The soldiers, workers, and even the Elite Dragon Knights worked desperately to open the tunnels back up, but thankfully the shrine was protected and the Fire Crystal and its sacrificial maiden were safe from the disaster.

Nevertheless, young Dragon Knight Sir Fratley could not help but feel a dread pit in his stomach, and he approached the Altar of Dreams. There, sleeping softly for the past century, was Lady Freya Crescent, Light Warrior of Fire and Protector of the Dream Realm. Fratley stared at the Dragon Knight, sleeping calmly with her lance laying over her as if she was a deceased soldier, and the young knight looked up at the Fire Crystal. "I don't know what to do…" he said softly, as if whispering a prayer.

The Fire Crystal did not respond, but the fiery light that exploded from it nearly blinded and seared the Dragon Knight.

* * *

Meanwhile, deep within the earth, the decendents of the Gulgan who migrated to Terra all fell over in unison as the earthquake hit their home. All of the creatures were blind, for their foresight was all they had, and the Gulgan all lay as if they were dead for a moment until the danger had passed. Once they stood up, the elder looked forward, his mouth hung agape. "And so, it begins…" he murmured.

* * *

Lindblum was abuzz and in fear at the quake, but none were more scared than Elite Paladin General Beatrix, who strode through the castle as it shuddered and groaned; she was the only one who did not fall, for she had something more important to watch for than herself. She came to an elaborate door and practically threw it open. "Princess Eiko! Princess Eiko, are you alright?"

Lindblum's tiny princess was hiding under her bed sheets when Beatrix entered her room, but when she heard her guardian's voice, she poked her head out. "Beatrix, what happened? What was that?" she asked, leaping out of bed and running to the paladin's side. Beatrix approached and knelt down to look at her princess face to face.

"I'm afraid that was the quake, your highness. It was the one that the Gulgan had prophesied about."

Eiko's eyes cocked her head. "What are you talking about, Beatrix?"

The paladin sighed good-naturedly. "You should care more about your studies, Princess. Everything the Gulgan says is… it's true…"

Eiko blinked when she heard Beatrix choke up on her words. Beatrix tended to scold her when she skipped her lectures, but this was different, and Eiko didn't know what to do except hug and comfort her. "Beatrix, what's wrong?"

Beatrix did not move, even while Lindblum's princess held her tight in an attempt to comfort her. "Oh, Princess, you are far too young… far too young…"

Eiko squeezed the paladin and stared off behind her, wondering what in the world she was talking about.

* * *

Terra felt the pain and turmoil as the Crystals of Light used a great amount of their power to answer Kuja's wish, and Gaia's Crystals of Darkness lost every bit of their darkness as Light permeated throughout the dark world, causing so much light that it even pierced the darkest corners of the underground.

However, none of the Gaians noticed it, not even the Warriors of Darkness. Garnet stood in mute horror, as still as a statue, with her mouth agape. Next to her was Amarant, his face screwed up in rage as he sat unmoving. Even Steiner, who had just pushed off of the wall to stand at his princess's side, was unmoving next to Vivi, who even while he slept did not even breathe. There was nothing for the four of them to perceive after Kuja's prayer was answered and Time was completely Stopped.

The World of Darkness, Gaia, was not harmed as per Kuja's promise, but because its inhabitants were stopped in time and could not interact with anything any longer, it was still dead.

The End...

...

...Of Act One

* * *

... ... ... *Trollfacedotjpg*


	14. Chapter 14

EDIT: Hey all! I finished up fixing the other chapters beforehand. Now you can actually read this stuff from beginning to end without wondering where there are breaks in scene changes! If you still read this, toss this out and show it to all your friends! I'm hoping that this'll actually start becoming something slightly fun for multiple readers!

And now back to your regularly scheduled chapter.

* * *

Hey guys! Sorry for taking so long. Yes, this is the beginning of Act II of this story, so we'll have to see how things go from here. Most of the story is going to be taking place on Terra now, so I hope you guys didn't want to go back to Dali or the Black Mage Village!

Anyway, Read On!

* * *

Terra felt the pain and turmoil as the Crystals of Light used a great amount of their power to answer Kuja's wish, and Gaia's Crystals of Darkness lost every bit of their darkness as Light permeated throughout the dark world, causing so much light that it even pierced the darkest corners of the underground.

However, none of the Gaians noticed it, not even the Warriors of Darkness. Garnet stood in mute horror, as still as a statue, with her mouth agape. Next to her was Amarant, his face screwed up in rage as he sat unmoving. Even Steiner, who had just pushed off of the wall to stand at his princess's side, was unmoving next to Vivi, who even while he slept did not even breathe. There was nothing for the four of them to perceive after Kuja's prayer was answered and Time was completely Stopped.

The World of Darkness, Gaia, was not harmed as per Kuja's promise, but because its inhabitants were stopped in time and could not interact with anything any longer, it was still dead.

* * *

Zidane had taken one last look at the plaintive face of Garnet, and he jumped through the portal mirror into… the exact same room. For a moment, he had to take a moment for his brain to register that the difference was that it wasn't a ruin; Garnet, Kuja and the other Dark Warriors weren't there, and Zorn and Thorn were.

He turned around and stared at the portal, still open for Kuja to enter through, and he suddenly felt something wash over him. His eyes were stinging; it was just so *bright*! His eyes began filling with tears when he looked out the window and saw the sun bearing down upon the temple. The light was so bright and he was so unused to it that his eyes filled with tears and they fell down his face. It took a moment for him to realize that it wasn't just the sun that caused the tears.

Zorn and Thorn were muttering to each other under their breaths as Zidane took a moment to hunch his shoulders and weep silently to himself as the feeling of "home" settled over him. He was home, here on Terra, and something deep in his heart, he knew not where, ached for it. For just a moment, he felt whole, as if he belonged here on this soil that felt both familiar and foreign.

It was then that a sudden and horrible earthquake happened. Zidane had to steady himself, and if it weren't for his tail and years as a thief, he probably would have fallen to the floor like Zorn and Thorn did. He looked around, hoping that the temple would stay up, and it didn't fall to the floor. It looked like it was protected and taken care of, much different than the temple back on Gaia.

"_Help Us!"_ Zidane growled at the sudden invasion of his mind, and he whirled around, looking for the culprit. He then realized that the voice sounded similar to the Dark Crystals. These were the Crystals of Light, they were talking to him…!

"_Warrior of Light, we are in pain." "Help Us, Warrior of Light." "The others, find the others." "We cannot hold them off for long."_

"One at a time, one at a time!" Zidane shouted into the air. Zorn and Thorn turned to each other and shrugged. "What's going on? Where are the others? Who are they? What are you holding off? I need details!"

This Crystal's sound was different than the other three, as if Zidane heard it somewhere, long ago, in a dream. _"The balance is shifting. We could not help but answer Kuja's prayer, but now we are expending too much energy, too much power… We cannot stop the enemy from coming. Zidane, I chose you from your birth to stop this very happenstance. Seek the princess from Lindblum, you will know what to do from there."_

"Kuja's prayer…?" Zidane muttered out loud, "Wait, what did Kuja pray for? What happened! Who is the enemy? The Darkness can't fight against you guys anymore, you destroyed Gaia!"

"_Gaia is not the enemy, Zidane."_ The response was such a matter-of-fact and straight faced sound that it made Zidane bite his lip and wonder what was going on here on Terra.

…Then Garnet's smiling face came to mind, and the tears were replaced with unbridled anger. He scrubbed at his cheeks and whirled around. "Where's Kuja?" he demanded of the twins. Zorn and Thorn looked up at the Ancient, turned to each other, and snickered into their sleeves. "You little…! Where's Kuja!"

The twins didn't even bother answering Zidane; they turned around and rushed from the room. The thief growled and began chasing them down, but he stopped when he saw Kuja move through the portal and with a flourish of his hand, closed the portal mirror. Zidane's brother turned around and looked at the thief. "Ah, there you are. Now then, I assume we are going to head home and meet with the family, then? I am sure we would be remiss if we did not…"

"What did you do?" Zidane interrupted with a hiss. Kuja quirked an eyebrow, unsure of what Zidane was going on about, and the thief grabbed his brother and shook him. "What did you do to Gaia!"

Kuja rolled his eyes and looked away with a disinterested look. "I left through the portal after you and closed it behind me. What the Crystals decided to do to Gaia is beyond my feeble mortal mind to comprehend," the Ancient replied.

Zidane was having none of that and clocked his brother in the jaw, and Kuja dropped to the floor with a harsh thud. "You lying asshole! The Crystals just said they answered your prayer! What did you wish for?"

Kuja rubbed his jaw, his eyes suddenly very dangerous and his normally flippant demeanor all but disappeared. "Is that so? The Crystals said so? So they talk to you, do they? The perfect Warrior of Light needs to take care of the planet when the threat's already taken care of, is that it?"

Zidane ignored Kuja as the magician muttered unintelligibly to himself and crossed to the mirror. He tapped on it and growled at the fact that the portal was gone. "Crystals, what are you waiting for? Power this thing up!"

"_We cannot." "The balance denies us our ability to interact with Gaia." "There is no pain or joy on the other side." "You could not survive, even if we could let you through."_

"One at a time!" Zidane hissed, biting his thumb as he thought about what to do next. He looked back up at the ceiling as if that's where the crystals were hiding this entire time. "Just tell me what I need to do!"

"_I have already told you. Lindblum's Princess must be sought out. You will know what to do from there."_

"Where's Lindblum, Kuja?" Zidane turned and watched Kuja rub his jaw and mutter under his breath. "You know about where things on Terra are, I need to go there first, that's what the Crystals say."

"Of course," Kuja drawled, "I wouldn't doubt that. Mother's there, after all."

Zidane had a pretty good poker face, so he didn't reveal his surprise at those words. "Really? Is Mother the princess of Lindblum?"

The magician let out a chuckle and flipped his feather and hair back. "Of course not, the princess is far too young for that. The princess is another Light Warrior: a summoner."

"Like Dagger?" Zidane asked, his eyes wide. He couldn't believe it. Fate was a bitch and it was having its way with him, he knew it. "Look, I don't care much anymore. Where is it? How do I get there?"

"We're on a pretty large island, but there's an airship I had prepared for you; after all, I assumed you didn't know how to teleport. I need to report back to Father. Just go talk to the pilot, he'll take you to where you want to go." Zidane frowned, a little surprised that Kuja would just open up like that, and he looked on guard, jumping back when the man stood up and dusted himself off. The thief wondered if the magician was leading him into a trap. "Well? You want a written invitation? I'm teleporting away from here in a bit, and you're a little stuck. This place has the same layout as the Gaian temple, so just head out on the balcony where I met you, and climb the stairs to the roof. You can trust me, or you can't. I could care less by this point."

Zidane snarled at the magician. His kind words of brotherly love were laced with poison and malice at certain points, but the thief hated to admit that the man had a point. Kuja brushed himself off one more time and snapped his fingers; Zidane was left alone in the mirror room.

At first his instincts went on high alert. He wasn't completely sure if Kuja had actually teleported away or if he simply disappeared, and what made it worse was that when he grabbed for his daggers, he realized he had left them on Gaia. With a hiss and a curse, he turned around and rushed towards the balcony Kuja had mentioned. He had no idea that it was a trap or not, but it was better than staying around doing nothing, and it was the only lead he had.

Besides, if it was a trap, he'd just find a way to get around it like he always did, by being damn awesome.


End file.
